Aleem Khan promises merit-based governance if IPP forms government in AJK

ISLAMABAD: Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) President Abdul Aleem Khan on Saturday said his party would uphold merit, transparency and public service if it is given the opportunity to form a government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Speaking at a press conference, Aleem Khan, who also serves as federal minister for communications, said he would personally take responsibility if corruption took place during his government’s tenure.

“If corruption occurred under my government's tenure, I would personally accept responsibility for it,

He said the party’s priorities ahead of the upcoming elections included addressing what he described as the long-running deprivation of AJK residents, improving education, ensuring basic civic amenities and putting in place transparent governance. He added that decisions relating to Azad Kashmir would be taken in line with the wishes and interests of its people, and said all promises made to Kashmiris would be honoured. He also said practical steps would be introduced to ensure every child in AJK had access to education.

Aleem Khan said politics should not be limited to acquiring power, but should instead focus on delivering essential services to the public. He said real change would come through practical work rather than speeches. He also urged political parties and candidates to accept election outcomes in a democratic spirit, with humility in victory and patience in defeat.

Criticising parties that have previously held power, he said those who had governed for years were still answerable for the difficulties faced by the public.

“Those who have governed the country two or even three times are now questioning others, whereas they should first be accountable for their own performance”, he stated.

Infrastructure plans and election remarks

Referring to the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, Aleem Khan said the IPP had nominated strong candidates and was receiving broad public backing. He also praised the prime minister’s leadership, saying he had not lost hope or panicked during difficult times.

He said he had asked the prime minister to allow him to concentrate fully on the Ministry of Communications so infrastructure modernisation could be pursued on a priority basis. According to Aleem Khan, work on highways and motorways was moving ahead across the country. He said road projects were under way in Gilgit-Baltistan, while the Sukkur-Karachi Motorway was being linked to the country’s seaport and work on that project would begin this year.

He added that the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway was being widened from four lanes to six, while construction on the Lahore-Sialkot-Kharian-Islamabad Motorway was also continuing. He said the scheme would reduce the Lahore-Islamabad travel distance by about 100 kilometres. He further announced that the Islamabad-Murree Expressway would be extended to Muzaffarabad, while Muzaffarabad would also be linked to Mansehra through a modern highway to provide safer and faster transport for the people of Azad Kashmir.

Aleem Khan said Pakistan’s youth represented the country’s future and urged them to prioritise education and hard work. He also said people in South Punjab and interior Sindh had remained without basic infrastructure for decades, adding that the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway had remained pending for nearly 30 years. In this context, he criticised those who were now raising questions despite, he said, failing to resolve public problems while in office.

Political figures join IPP

On the occasion, a number of political figures joined the IPP, including Dr Sardar Zafar Iqbal from LA-25 Upper Neelum, Sardar Murtaza Ali Ahmad from Poonch, Sardar Abdul Jabbar Mughal from Constituency 4 Jhelum Valley, District Council Member Aamir Naeem, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah from Kotli-Muzaffarabad, Councillor Shujaa Mangol Advocate, Chaudhry Abdul Qadeer Gujjar from LA-35, Sardar Sajjad Gul from Neelum, Chairman Haji Iftikhar Mughal, Chairman Faheem Mushtaq, Media Coordinator Raja Qamar Zaman, Party Spokesperson Sardar Mashal Younis, Syed Inam Gilani from Jhelum Valley, Councillor Khalid Mehmood, Councillor Nauman Usman, Hafiz Ahmad Butt from LA-42, Sardar Nazakat Minshad from Valley-3, Nauman Ali Chughtai, Asim Hameed, Farhan Anwar and Naveed Chaudhry.