Bilawal claims 'certain elements' within PML-N are sowing division among allies, undermining PM Shehbaz

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed concern on Friday that certain individuals within the ruling PML-N were undermining Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and creating discord among political allies. The PPP and PML-N have been at odds since the latter won the majority of seats in the second phase of elections on July 27, with the PPP alleging rigging and violence in both phases.

Speaking at an election rally in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, Bilawal questioned why elections were held in multiple phases, suggesting they were intended to facilitate manipulation. He alleged that a significant portion of the PML-N aimed to undermine the prime minister's efforts, contradicting the notion that the government had already collapsed.

Bilawal urged the audience to consider whether elections had ever been held in six phases in Kashmir's history, emphasizing that the process was intended to ensure peace. However, he contended that the elections in phases were used to rig the results, noting the PML-N's control over ten seats from the outset. The PPP chief pointed to the robbery of seats in Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, and Poonch, and predicted that the situation in Poonch and Bagh would worsen on August 10.

The AJK Election Commission later revised the third phase of elections, scheduling only Bagh and Haveli districts in Poonch Division for polling on August 10 due to concerns over law and order. The decision was made following clashes between protesters and law enforcement in Rawalakot, a district gripped by unrest since early June, with protesters demanding the abolition of 12 seats reserved for refugees from Indian-held Kashmir.