State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani said on Friday that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) remained firmly committed to protecting Kashmiris’ right to representation through refugee constituencies.
He made the remarks while addressing corner meetings in Dina, Dhanyala, Kashmir Colony and Chotala on the final day of election campaigning for Raja Siddique, the PML-N candidate for LA-39 Jammu-VI, and Syed Shaukat Shah, the party’s candidate for LA-42 Valley-III.
Kayani vowed the party would continue to stand by the rights of refugee-seat voters and support their democratic representation in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly.
The minister said the people of Mirpur Division had expressed confidence in the PML-N, a reality difficult for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to accept.
He also criticised the PPP’s governance record, saying Karachi’s sewerage, water supply and road infrastructure had deteriorated under the party’s rule and that the residents and business community of the Sindh capital deserved better services and governance.
Kayani expressed confidence over the August 2 polls, saying the PML-N would secure victory in all refugee constituencies as well as seats across Muzaffarabad Division.
Election campaigning for the second phase of the AJK elections will end at midnight on Friday ahead of polling scheduled for August 2 (Sunday).
Voting will be held in nine constituencies across Muzaffarabad Division’s three districts — Muzaffarabad, Neelum and Jhelum Valley — as well as 12 refugee constituencies.
A total of 208 candidates are contesting the nine seats in Muzaffarabad Division.
According to the AJK Election Commission, 890,621 voters are registered in the division, including 427,955 men and 381,666 women.
To facilitate voting, 1,483 polling stations have been established across the three districts, including 1,205 in Muzaffarabad district, 278 in Neelum and 328 in Jhelum Valley.
