Bilawal claims 'certain elements' within PML-N are sowing division among allies, undermining PM Shehbaz

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari claimed on Friday that certain elements within the ruling PML-N were undermining Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and sowing discord between him and his political allies.

The PPP and the PML-N have been engaged in a war of words since the latter emerged in the lead in Mirpur polls on July 27. The PML-N has also won the majority of the seats in the second phase, with the PPP accusing it of rigging and other violent tactics in both phases.

The PPP chief was addressing an election rally in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, where the third phase of elections in the region is slated to be held.

“High-profile people are saying that the government has collapsed. I’m not saying that, nor am I casting doubt on the prime minister’s intentions. He’s a good man with good intentions. But what can he do when the people around him have bad intentions?” Bilawal asked.

In reference to remarks he made earlier this week, the party chief highlighted that the PPP did not start the “countdown” to the government’s collapse, but rather these elements within the ruling party.

“The PML-N’s fight is not with the PPP — it happens in elections, as it has before. The real fight is entirely different, because the PM, with his good intentions and actions, is undermined by a large part of the PML-N,” Bilawal alleged.

“A big part of the PML-N wants the PM to fight not only the opposition, but also his own allies.”

He then asked the audience: “Have there ever been elections held in six phases in Kashmir’s history? If Kashmir is one, then the election should have been held on a single day.”

Bilawal said the elections were being held in phases “so that there is calm and the elections are peaceful, free and fair”, before asking: “But in which phase were the elections free, fair or peaceful?”

“In truth, elections were carried out in phases so they could rig them. They knew that 10 seats were in their pocket from the start,” he alleged.

“With the 10 seats in their pocket, they robbed Mirpur, they robbed Muzaffarabad, and they’re looking at you, in Poonch. They are looking at Bagh. On August 10, they will find out that those in Poonch and Bagh hunt tigers.”

Elections are being held across AJK in three phases. Polls in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad divisions were held on July 27 and August 2, respectively.

The first phase of polling in Mirpur saw the PML-N secure nine of the 13 seats while the PPP won the remaining four.

In the second phase in Muzaffarabad, the PML-N bagged 15 more seats, while the PPP managed to add just six more to its tally.

The third phase in Poonch division was set for August 10. Poonch Division comprises 11 constituencies — three in Bagh, one in Haveli, five in Poonch and two in Sudhnoti district.

However, earlier today, the AJK Election Commission revised the schedule for the third phase of elections in the region, saying polling would only be held in Poonch Division’s Bagh and Haveli districts on August 10 amid concerns over the law and order situation.

The electoral process in the constituencies of Poonch district and Sudhnoti’s Pallandri would not be held on August 10, the Election Commission said, adding that it reviewed the “current situation” regarding the scheduled elections in Poonch.

It noted that according to a report it received from the AJK home secretary, there were “concerns over the law and order situation in some areas of Poonch district and Pallandri district”.

The commission’s decision comes in the wake of clashes that took place between protesters and law enforcement personnel in Poonch district’s Rawalakot on July 27, which reportedly resulted in several casualties.

Rawalakot has been gripped by unrest since early June, with the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) staging sit-ins periodically.

The JAAC, which has been demanding the abolishment of 12 seats in the local legislature reserved for refugees from Indian-held Kashmir, has been holding protests in the region for several weeks now.

The government has accused militant elements “pursuing a foreign agenda and backed by Indian funding” of fomenting the unrest.