Kashmir elections: PPP leader slams statements made by Maryam, her father

In a strongly worded condemnation of the statements made by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz regarding the Kashmir elections, Nadeem Afzal Chan, the Central Information Secretary of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), expressed the party's readiness to compare the performance and policies of both political entities on various issues.

In a video message, Chan addressed the elder Nawaz Sharif, calling on him to contemplate the challenging conditions that prevailed during the elections in Kashmir. He alleged that a significant political entity had boycotted the elections, and the situation regarding law and order was poor, rendering the elections unfair in certain regions.

Chan also criticized Maryam Nawaz's performance, acknowledging her work ethic but maintaining that the PPP was prepared to contrast the two parties' records of governance. He claimed that the PML-N had governed for nearly four decades, excluding the terms of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and pointed out that several PML-N members had previously been associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid during Musharraf’s rule.

Chan acknowledged that the PPP's media strategy was less effective than that of the PML-N and admitted to being a weakness within his party. He admitted the PPP had failed to communicate its accomplishments effectively to the public. Chan then challenged the PML-N to compare the privatisation records of both parties, questioning how many valuable national institutions had been sold under the PPP and PML-N governments.

He highlighted the importance of agriculture to Pakistan's economy and argued that wheat had to be imported under every PML-N administration. Chan further praised PPP-led projects in Thar and Karachi, calling for the PML-N to identify comparable initiatives undertaken in Punjab. He criticized the PML-N for involving bureaucrats and business figures in politics, alleging that the party had created a system where influential business families gained significant political influence.

Chan also urged a comparison of circular debt, independent power producers, and financial irregularities under both party leadership. He emphasized his party's nationwide political presence, tracing its roots to smaller provinces, and called upon the PML-N to compare its policies for Balochistan with the PPP's Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan programme.

Chan stressed that the PPP would accept electoral defeat if the elections were conducted freely and fairly, concluding that "Lahore alone is not Pakistan."