CM Maryam hails PML-N's 'outstanding victory' in AJK elections, urges PPP to accept defeat

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz declared an "outstanding victory" for the PML-N in the initial phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections. She called on the opposing Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to concede defeat, expressing disappointment with their leaders' remarks. Nawaz asserted that election results are determined by the people, not the state. She directly addressed PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's rigging allegations, drawing a parallel to the 2020 Gilgit-Baltistan elections. "Now you are alleging PML-N of rigging; when you won the GB election, there was no rigging there, but as you have lost the AJK election badly, you are now levelling rigging allegations," Nawaz stated. She recalled that the PML-N had acknowledged the PPP's majority win in Gilgit-Baltistan, congratulated them, and offered them the chance to form the government. Nawaz suggested the PPP should have focused on its own performance rather than making accusations.

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The PPP should have accepted its defeat by affirming the spirit of democracy, but I felt aggrieved by the kind of words used by PPP leaders.