Bilawal rallies Mirpur voters, says AJK polls will decide Kashmiris' rights and future

• PPP chairman urges voters to back 'arrow' symbol, calling election a referendum on rights, development and AJK future

• Accuses PML-N of portraying taxpayer-funded development projects as personal political gifts

• Says people of Mirpur deserve equal rights and recognition for sacrifices made during the construction of Mangla Dam.

 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday launched a final appeal to voters in Mirpur Division ahead of the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections on Monday, urging them to vote for the party's 'arrow' symbol while accusing the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of portraying publicly funded development projects as personal political gifts.

In a special message issued from Islamabad on the eve of polling, Bilawal said public transport projects financed through taxpayers' money belonged to the people and should not be presented as favors by political leaders.

"These buses are not anyone's gift; they are the people's right," he said.

Mian Sahib @NawazSharifMNS , bura na manain

Magar Kashmir ho ya Kashmore, Mirpur ho ya Mirpurkhas, In ke sirf naam nahin milte; inka mizaj bhi milta hai, inki ghairat bhi milti hai aur apne haq ke liye kharay hone ka hausla bhi milta hai.

Kashmore ho ya Kashmir koi apne… pic.twitter.com/egV52it88d

— Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (@BBhuttoZardari) July 26, 2026

Claiming that the PPP had consistently delivered practical development rather than empty promises, Bilawal criticized what he described as politically timed development announcements, arguing that projects funded by the public exchequer should never be portrayed as personal generosity.

Stepping up his criticism of the PML-N, Bilawal said the people of "Kashmir and Kashmore, Mirpur and Mirpur Khas" shared a common determination to safeguard their rights and would not allow anyone to undermine their claim over their land or future.

He claimed that just as the PML-N had been rejected by voters in previous elections in Kashmir and Kashmore, the electorate would deliver a similar verdict in the current polls.

Bilawal described the election as a decisive referendum on the rights, development and future of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

He urged voters to give the PPP a strong mandate, pledging that the party would never compromise on the rights of the people of AJK and would continue its struggle to secure what he described as the rights of sovereignty, ownership and employment for Kashmiris.

Referring to the historic sacrifices made by the people of Mirpur, Bilawal said they had given up their homes and land for the construction of the Mangla Dam, enabling the electrification of large parts of Pakistan.

کشمور ہو یا کشمیر - کوئی اپنے حق پر کسی کو ڈاکا نہیں ڈالنے دے گا، پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا ویڈیو پیغام#MirpurMainTeerChaleyGa pic.twitter.com/RdIDWupCJI

— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) July 26, 2026

"The people of Mirpur sacrificed their homes and land for the Mangla Dam and it is because of those sacrifices that much of Pakistan was electrified," he said.

"No one can deny that the people of AJK have an equal stake in the region's resources, decisions and future," Bilawal added, asserting that Pakistan owed a debt of gratitude to Mirpur for those sacrifices rather than doing its people a favor.

He maintained that the people of AJK should enjoy the same fundamental rights as every Pakistani citizen, including what he termed the rights of sovereignty, ownership and employment.

Bilawal also called for the immediate establishment of a dedicated compensation fund for those affected by the recent violence, saying such a measure would help restore public confidence and normalcy.

Concluding his message, the PPP chairman urged voters across Mirpur Division to stamp the party's arrow symbol and vote for development, prosperity and the protection of the rights of the people of Azad Kashmir.