AJK polls shaping up to be ‘Nawaz vs Bilawal’ contest

ISLAMABAD: With less than a week to go in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, the PML-N and the PPP have stepped up their election campaigns, with their top leadership taking charge of the election campaign to galvanise their support base.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is already in AJK for canvassing — just like he did in Gilgit-Baltistan, where his party ended up forming the government.

Hoping to prevent a repeat of the GB polls, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, who has hitherto kept a low profile, has decided to step in and lead the election campaign in Kashmir. He is expected to address multiple rallies in Azad Kashmir.

Observers see this election as ‘Nawaz vs Bilawal’ — with some claiming that the election campaign will be trickier for the PML-N because of widespread resentment against the political party over its purported role in the crackdown on protests led by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).

They believe that the PML-N is utilising all efforts to win the Kashmir polls because it does not want to cede space to the PPP as it did in Gilgit-Baltistan, where Bhutto-Zardari ran a vigorous campaign to lead his party to victory.

‘Lessons from past mistakes’

PM’s information adviser Ikhtiyar Wali said the PML-N has learnt from the mistakes it made in GB and the PPP will not have smooth sailing in Kashmir.

“We learnt a lot from Gilgit-Baltistan elections where we did not expect that PPP Chairman Bilawal would…even choose PPP candidates by himself,” he said. This time, the PML-N leadership is proactively running the election campaign and aims to defeat the PPP.

On the other hand, PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari took the PML-N to task in his Kotli speech. According to the PPP scion, the PPP government has nothing to do with the crackdown and the ire of JAAC protesters was directed at the federal government led by the PML-N.

He even mentioned controversial remarks by Khawaja Asif, saying a member of the federal cabinet, hailing from Sialkot, did not believe that Rawalkot was a part of AJK and this had not been denied by the PM. He also said the PPP will “hunt the lion” in the mountains of Kashmir.

PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah asked him to refrain from making such a statement, as this would add “fuel to the fire” in Kashmir. However, PPP leader Sharjeel Memon said his party chief was trying to “put out” the fire ignited by the PML-N ministers.

“Irresponsible and anti-Kashmir statements of PML-N federal ministers have created a negative atmosphere in Kashmir. PML-N ministers have insulted the Kashmiri people by playing frivolous politics,” Memon added, hoping to capitalise on the controversial remarks by the PML-N minister.

Nawaz vs Bilawal

As both political heavyweights lead their respective election campaigns, political observers are unsure if the participation of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is a wise move by the PML-N, given its apparent unpopularity in Kashmir amid ongoing unrest.

A veteran politician, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the elder Sharif has not made a “wise decision” by spearheading the Kashmir campaign himself. He said the PML-N was already on the back foot due to the crackdown on protesters, adding that people were protesting against the Centre, not the PPP-led government in Kashmir.

Political observers believe that if the PML-N loses this election despite the involvement of the elder Sharif, the defeat will put a dent in his popularity, especially when he has already taken a back seat in politics.

Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, however, supported the decision by the PML-N to launch Nawaz Sharif in Kashmir.

He said the PPP chairman was leading the campaign in Kashmir because his father, Asif Ali Zardari, could not do that as he was the president of the country. As the PML-N president, it was a rightful decision by Nawaz Sharif to support his party with his physical presence in AJK, he said, while appreciating the move.

As both political bigwigs vie for power in Kashmir, a political observer believes that the PPP seems to be in a stronger position in Kashmir compared to the PML-N. Being in power in AJK gives the PPP an edge over the PML-N, the analyst added.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2026 ...