Nawaz Sharif to lead PML-N AJK election drive as party finalises ‘ticket scrutiny’

• PML-N supremo to visit Azad Kashmir in mid-June for campaign drive

• PM Shehbaz Sharif and CM Maryam Nawaz also expected to join election campaign

• More than 206 candidates from 45 constituencies appear before PML-N parliamentary board

• PML-N confident of forming government in upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir polls

 

 ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Supremo Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to visit Azad Jammu and Kashmir in mid-June to actively participate in the party’s election campaign ahead of the upcoming regional polls, as he has completed interviews of party candidates seeking tickets for the elections.

PML-N insiders said the former three-time prime minister would provide momentum to the party’s campaign during his mid-June visit, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif are also expected to visit Azad Kashmir for electioneering activities.

They said Nawaz Sharif had directed both Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz to participate in the campaign in accordance with the law.

According to insiders, two to three public gatherings addressed by Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz are expected to be held in different areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir during the election campaign.

Earlier, Nawaz Sharif chaired a parliamentary board meeting of the PML-N held at the party secretariat in Model Town, Lahore, where interviews of candidates seeking party tickets for the upcoming AJK elections were completed.

A PML-N statement posted on X said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Maryam Nawaz, and several senior party leaders attended the meeting.

پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن) کی مرکزی سیکریٹری اطلاعات مریم اورنگزیب کا بیان

پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن) کے صدر محمد نوازشریف آزادکشمیر میں انتخابات کے لئے پارلیمانی بورڈ کی صدارت کررہے ہیں

آزادجموں وکشمیر کے45 انتخابی حلقوں سے 210 امیدواروں کے انٹرویوز جاری ہیں

پارٹی صدر محمد نوازشریف… pic.twitter.com/wRq0agRoVL

— PMLN (@pmln_org) May 8, 2026

Party sources said more than 206 candidates from 45 constituencies appeared before the parliamentary board as part of the ticket allocation process.

They added that each candidate was given two to three minutes to present their case before the board, while Nawaz Sharif and other members questioned them on party loyalty and public support in their respective constituencies.

According to party officials, the final decision on ticket distribution would be made by Nawaz Sharif, with successful candidates expected to receive official party tickets within the next 30 days.

Addressing the meeting, Nawaz Sharif said he had a deep emotional attachment with the people of Kashmir.

“I am myself a Kashmiri, and love for Kashmiris runs in my blood,” he said, adding that he would personally visit Azad Kashmir to seek support for the party’s candidates.

He expressed confidence that the PML-N would form the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, similar to its position in the federal government and Punjab.

Senior leaders including Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Hamza Shahbaz, Raja Farooq Haider, Ahsan Iqbal, and Khawaja Mohammad Asif also attended the parliamentary board meeting.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif constituted a nine-member political committee comprising federal ministers and AJK-based leaders to formulate party policy and oversee political affairs related to the region.

In February, committee members held consultations with prospective candidates at divisional headquarters across Azad Kashmir, while separate consultations were also conducted with Pakistan-based Kashmiri refugees in Rawalpindi.

Party sources said the committee had largely completed preliminary scrutiny work for prospective candidates in 33 constituencies of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The AJK elections are scheduled for July, with the PML-N parliamentary board set to begin the formal scrutiny and finalisation process for ticket distribution.