ISLAMABAD - Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid Monday said Pakistan Muslim League-N would win upcoming elections of Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly.

The minister was speaking to a group of senior editors and journalists of AJK-based newspapers at an Iftar dinner hosted here.

Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Chaudhry Barjees Tahir, Minister for Capital Administration Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Advisor to Prime Minister for Political Affairs Dr Asif Kirmani were also present. 

No party except PML-N had so far sought applications from candidates, he said adding the party received 250 applications for 29 seats of the legislative assembly.

He said PPP had governments in the centre and in AJK, so it should not complain and avoid using unsuitable and violent language.

The minister said those parties which did not have candidates were talking about breaking legs of others.

The minister said PML-N formed government three times, fulfilled its promises and completed the projects announced by it.

“When we came to power we got unfinished projects. The projects were like graveyards. We got Neelum Jhelum project whose cost was escalating.”

The PML-N government promised to complete Neelum-Jhelum project in three years and would do it in time, he added.

“Our government completed projects left unfinished by the previous government. We do positive politics instead of resorting to abuses,” he remarked.

Pervaiz Rashid said ambulance service in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan was needed as these were difficult areas and it took time to take patients to hospitals by roads.

He said Imran Khan and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari ran campaigns on helicopters while Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his ministers travelled by road to visits areas of Kashmir.

The minister said a group of politicians frequently made fun of projects meant for poor, adding they joked about metro bus projects in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

He said political parties should act as partners and not adversaries, to resolve issues of poverty, ignorance, unemployment and disease.

Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Barjees Tahir said July 21 was a day of accountability and PML-N wanted that lections in AJK should be held in a free, fair and transparent manner.

He said if Chief Election Commissioner wanted to hold elections in AJK in the supervision of army then PML-N had no objection to it.

The minister said all political parties including PML-N had already requested the Election Commission for deployment of Rangers during elections.

He recalled that PMLN won elections in Gilgit Baltistan by two thirds majority.

He said PPP government in AJK indulged in corruption in five years, had a shameful attitude with bureaucracy and in a recent bye election resorted to malpractices.

July 21 would be a day of victory for PML-N, which would hold the outgoing AJK government accountable, he added.

PML-N AJK President Raja Farooq Haider clarified that PPP AJK government never let pass the access to information bill in the legislative assembly in five years.