DHIRKOT (AJK): Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid Monday said the Kashmiris would vote for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidates in July 21 elections by rejecting politics of agitation and sit-ins.
This would show that they wanted to continue march towards progress and prosperity under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he added.
Addressing a party workers rally organized here by PML-N candidate from LA-13 Raja Iftikhar Ayub here, the minister said change in the country would come only through the ballot, and not through sit-ins and conspiracies. The PML-N would come to power in the AJK through the power of the ballot, he added.
He said the Kashmir issue could be resolved under the vision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who also had the vision to resolve the issues of loadshedding and unemployment in AJK.
The minister said the people of Dhirkot had flooded the roads and streets of Dhirkot and they had blocked the way of looters and plunderers. Today’s big and historic rally could be termed a revenge of the people. Through the mammoth gathering, the PML-N workers and supporters expressed their love and support for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the PML-N, he added.
He said the people of Pakistan loved Nawaz Sharif for his landmark achievements as Prime Minister. Since 1947 to 1998, no other leader could make the Indian leadership to admit reality about Kashmir.
He said it was Nawaz Sharif who invited Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Lahore where he admitted that Kashmir was a disputed territory and its peaceful resolution was imperative for durable peace in the region.
The minister said the coming three days were very important. On July 19 Accession to Pakistan Day would be observed while on July 20 ‘Black Day’ would be observed to convey Pakistanis anguish and dismay to India over the killings of innocent Kashmiris in the held Valley.
July 21 would be the day to vote for the PML-N and ensure Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan and pressurize India to stop human rights abuses in Occupied Kashmir and resolve the long-standing issue as per aspirations of the Kashmiris, he added.
“The people of Azad Kashmir should vote for the PML-N on July 21 for accession of Kashmir to Pakistan and stoppage of Indian atrocities in Indian occupied Kashmir,” he reiterated.
Pervaiz Rashid said the PML-N’s victory in AJK elections would give a message to the politicians of sit-ins and conspiracies that the people of both Pakistan and Azad Kashmir would not tolerate plots against their favourite leader Nawaz Sharif.
He said the Neelam-Jhelum hydro power project, which could not be completed during 10 years of Musharraf and five years of the Pakistan People’s Party rule, was now nearing completion thanks to the priority given by the present government.
He said efforts were made to stop the country’s march towards progress and prosperity under Nawaz Sharif as the enemies of the country were against construction of motorways and expressways from Khunjerab to Gawadar and Karachi.
He said an electricity generation project utilizing the Thar coal would start producing cheap power by next year.
He said education, health, roads, power and gas were the major issues, which would be resolved by the PML-N after coming to power.
The minister said it was strange that during Pervez Musharraf regime, when terrorism and loadshedding were order of the day no sit-ins were held. But sit-ins were staged against Nawaz Sharif to stop him from working on his agenda of progress and development.
The PPP, he said, was also disturbed as Nawaz Sharif lived in the hearts of people. His popularity could be gauged from the big election rallies of the Kashmiri people, he added.
Earlier, Pervaiz Rashid and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr Asif Kirmani felicitated Dr Aleem, former advisor to AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, for joining the PML-N.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said the PML-N always fulfilled its promises.
He said executing development projects was the hallmark PML-N governments. The PML-N had the manifesto to improve living standards of the people.
The PML-N after winning the elections, he said, would serve the AJK people, who desired development in their area on the pattern of Rawalpindi and Lahore. They did not like the progress on the pattern of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, he added.
Dr Asif Kirmani said he did not witness any election campaign of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, PPP and Muslim Conference in AJK as they had no manifesto.
