'Tick tock': Bilawal says PML-N's 'countdown' has begun, will hold rally in AJK's Poonch ahead of polls

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has warned the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) that a "countdown" for the opposition party has commenced, pledging to extend his party's movement for people's rights across the entire nation. The PPP leader made these remarks in a series of video messages posted on social media platform X, where he also alleged rigging against the PML-N during the ongoing Azad Kashmir elections.

The PML-N and PPP have been clashing verbally since the latter secured second place in the Mirpur polls on July 27. The PML-N has won the majority of seats in the second phase of the polls, with the PPP accusing the opposition party of rigging and violent tactics in both phases.

Bilawal affirmed that his party's struggle for the people's right to governance, ownership, and employment will not be confined to the mountains of Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan. He declared, "My message for the friends in PML-N is just this: you can hear those voices, listen carefully, tick tock, tick tock. Your countdown has begun."

The PPP chairman also paid tribute to the people of Kashmir, praising their efforts in competing with the PML-N, facing threats, rigging, and violence during the elections. He alleged that his party workers have been killed, an MNA suffered a bullet injury, and the acting president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Chaudhry Latif Akbar, was attacked during polling in Muzaffarabad.

Bilawal dismissed the PML-N's claim that a party worker died from a heart attack, stating that the worker died due to other reasons.

In a subsequent video, Bilawal asserted that the ongoing elections have not been transparent, describing them as "rigging elections, bullet elections, murderous elections, and bloody elections." Despite the alleged irregularities, the PPP chairman urged his supporters to secure the nine seats they have already won for the PPP in previous elections.

He specifically called upon the people of Muzaffarabad's LA-27 (Kutla) and LA-28 (Lachhrat) constituencies, where polling will resume after being suspended due to bad weather, to vote for PPP candidates Basil Naqvi and Javed Ayub. Bilawal also announced that the PPP will hold a jalsa in Bagh town, located in Poonch division, ahead of the elections scheduled for August 10 in the division.

The PPP chairman reiterated that the party does not back down or leave the field and urged the people to be ready. The AJK Election Commission has indicated that polling in Rawalakot and Tharor might not take place due to concerns regarding law and order and the safety of voters.