Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Nawaz Sharif on Friday took aim at Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari while unveiling an ambitious development agenda for Azad Jammu and Kashmir, urging his political rival not to take election rhetoric personally and promising to replicate Punjab's governance model in the region if his party is voted to power. Addressing a massive election rally in Mirpur, around 258 kilometres from Muzaffarabad, alongside Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, he said political competition should remain healthy and free of personal hostility. "Bilawal should not take political remarks personally.
This is Kashmir, not Kashmore, and this is Mirpur, not Mirpurkhas," he remarked in an apparent response to recent speeches made by the PPP chairman during his election campaign across AJK. میں نے مانسہرہ سے مظفرآباد اور پھر میرپور تک دریائے جہلم کے ساتھ موٹروے کا منصوبہ بنایا تھا، مگر وہ مکمل نہ ہو سکا۔ یہ منصوبہ آزاد کشمیر کی تقدیر بدل سکتا تھا۔ عوام نے موقع دیا تو اسے مکمل کریں گے۔ طلبہ کو لیپ ٹاپ، کسانوں کو سستی کھاد و بیج اور مستحق مریضوں کو مفت ادویات بھی… pic.twitter.com/N62tIDWfT4 — PMLN (@pmln_org) July 24, 2026 With just days remaining before polling, Nawaz sought to portray the PML-N as the party with the strongest development record in the region, pledging a "new era of development, prosperity and modern infrastructure" for AJK. He said every major development project undertaken in the region under a future PML-N government would reflect the party's vision, adding that his government would focus on modern transport, quality education, healthcare, urban infrastructure and public welfare.
"The people of Mirpur deserve the same standard of facilities available in Punjab," Nawaz said. "If electric buses can run in Lahore and Islamabad, there is no reason why the people of AJK should be deprived of similar services." He pledged to personally supervise major development projects in AJK, saying the region's future would remain one of his top priorities. MIRPUR BHI SHER KA🐅#MirpurSherKa pic.twitter.com/yc6HYkCaTN — PMLN (@pmln_org) July 24, 2026 Nawaz also announced that every deserving student in AJK would be provided with a laptop to improve access to modern education and digital technology, describing youth empowerment as a central pillar of the party's agenda.
Recalling his longstanding association with Mirpur, the f…
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