Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has announced that he will visit Azad Jammu and Kashmir in mid-June to take part in the party’s election campaign ahead of the upcoming regional polls, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
According to party sources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz are also expected to visit Azad Kashmir during the campaign period.
Sources said Nawaz Sharif had directed Shehbaz Sharif, in his capacity as prime minister, and Maryam Nawaz, as Punjab chief minister, to participate in the election campaign in accordance with the law.
Party insiders said two to three public gatherings addressed by Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz were expected to be held in different areas of Azad Kashmir during the election drive.
The announcement came after Nawaz Sharif completed interviews for party candidates seeking tickets for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections during a parliamentary board meeting held at the PML-N Secretariat in Lahore’s Model Town area.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Maryam Nawaz and several senior party leaders attended the meeting alongside the PML-N president.
According to 24NewsHD TV, more than 206 candidates from 45 constituencies appeared before the parliamentary board as part of the ticket allocation process.
Sources said each candidate was given only two to three minutes to speak before the board, while Nawaz Sharif and other members questioned them about their loyalty to the party and their public popularity within their constituencies.
Party officials said the final decision regarding the distribution of election tickets would be made by Nawaz Sharif, with successful candidates expected to receive official party tickets within the next 30 days.
Addressing the parliamentary board meeting, Nawaz Sharif said he had a deep emotional connection with the people of Kashmir.
“I am myself a Kashmiri, and love for Kashmiris runs in my blood,” he said, adding that he would personally visit Azad Kashmir to seek votes for party candidates.
He also expressed confidence that the PML-N would form the government in Azad Kashmir, similar to its position in the federal government and Punjab.
According to the channel, the interviews took place during a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board at the PML-N Secretariat in the Model Town area of Lahore.
Nawaz Sharif was accompanied by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and several senior party figures during the screening process.
As per the channel report, more than 206 candidates from 45 constituencies in Azad Jammu and Kashmir appeared before the parliamentary board for interviews.
Party sources said the final decision regarding the distribution of party tickets would be made by Nawaz Sharif. Candidates selected by the board are expected to receive official party tickets within the next 30 days.
Senior leaders including Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Hamza Shahbaz, Raja Farooq Haider, Ahsan Iqbal and Khawaja Mohammad Asif also attended the meeting as members of the parliamentary board.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also formed a nine-member political committee comprising federal ministers and AJK-based leaders to help shape party policy and supervise political affairs related to the region.
In February, the committee’s AJK members held consultations with prospective candidates at divisional headquarters across the territory. Separate consultations with aspirants from among Pakistan-based Kashmiri refugees were also held in Rawalpindi.
Party sources said the committee had completed most of the preliminary work concerning prospective candidates in the 33 AJK constituencies.
The AJK elections are due in July, and the party’s parliamentary board is now set to begin the formal scrutiny process for selecting candidates.
Reporter: Rao Dilshad Hussain