Nawaz Sharif Seeks Azad Kashmir Premiership in Campaign Launch

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif launched the party's election campaign for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) at a public rally in Muzaffarabad on July 21. Ahead of elections scheduled for July 27 through August 10, Sharif announced his intention to become the prime minister of the region if the PML-N wins, stating he would ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to appoint him so he could personally oversee development.

Sharif pledged a comprehensive development agenda, including a tenfold increase in the regional budget, the construction of a motorway connecting Mansehra, Muzaffarabad, and Mirpur, and the introduction of 15 mobile hospitals and 10 Green Line buses. He directed Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to create a special development package for the region based on Punjab's current initiatives. Maryam Nawaz Sharif also addressed the rally, citing ancestral ties to Kashmir and alleging that previous election results had been manipulated.

The campaign occurs as the PML-N contests against its federal coalition partner, the Pakistan People's Party. Meanwhile, the region faces widespread unrest led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, with protesters in Rawalakot, Mirpur, and Sudhnoti demanding subsidized wheat and lower electricity tariffs. The Government of India has rejected the legitimacy of the polls, maintaining that the region is an integral part of India under illegal Pakistani occupation.