Nawaz promises motorway, hospitals and buses if PML-N wins AJK polls

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday promised major infrastructure, healthcare and transport projects for Azad Jammu and Kashmir if his party wins the July 27 Legislative Assembly elections.

Addressing a PML-N election rally in Muzaffarabad, Nawaz said he had a deep personal attachment to Kashmir and described Azad Kashmir as his “second home.”

“My elders belong to Kashmir, and my heart beats for the people of both Azad and occupied Kashmir,” he told supporters who attended the gathering despite rain.

Nawaz proposed the construction of a modern motorway connecting Mansehra, Muzaffarabad and Mirpur, saying the project should run along the Jhelum River and would transform connectivity and economic activity in the region.

He questioned why modern highways had not been developed between Kohala and Muzaffarabad despite the expansion of Pakistan’s motorway network.

Nawaz said he had observed the poor condition of roads while travelling to Muzaffarabad with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and called for immediate measures to improve the city’s infrastructure and appearance.

He described the proposed Mansehra-Muzaffarabad-Mirpur motorway as a gift from the PML-N to the Kashmiri people. A road corridor linking the three cities has previously been proposed as part of regional connectivity plans.

The former prime minister also announced plans to provide 15 mobile hospitals and 10 Green Line buses to Muzaffarabad.

He asked Maryam to prepare a special development package for the AJK capital and said development initiatives being implemented in Punjab should also be introduced in Azad Kashmir.

Nawaz said Maryam was working on extensive public welfare and infrastructure programmes in Punjab and urged her to tell the rally what assistance she had brought for the people of AJK.

He pledged that a PML-N government would address previous shortcomings, expand public services and launch development projects across all parts of Azad Kashmir.

Nawaz said the AJK budget would be increased substantially if the party formed the next government, although he did not explain how the proposed increase would be financed.

In a light-hearted remark, he said he would ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to make him the prime minister of Azad Kashmir if the PML-N won the elections.

He added that, even if he could not assume that position, he would visit Azad Kashmir every three months to review the implementation of the party’s election manifesto.

“After victory, I will take the prime minister with me and visit every corner of Azad Kashmir,” Nawaz said.

He said he would personally monitor development work and hold regular reviews with the PML-N’s AJK leadership.

Nawaz praised former AJK prime minister Raja Farooq Haider for his efforts to promote development during his tenure.

He said Punjab, Islamabad and Azad Kashmir were equally dear to him and maintained that he generally fulfilled the promises he made to the public.

The Muzaffarabad gathering formed part of the PML-N’s final campaign push ahead of the AJK elections, with Nawaz and Maryam scheduled to lead party rallies as competition intensifies between the PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party.