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ISLAMABAD: Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) President Abdul Aleem Khan has pledged that if his party is given the opportunity to form the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), merit, transparency and public service will be upheld at all costs.
“If corruption occurred under my government’s tenure, I would personally accept responsibility for it,” Aleem — who is serving as federal minister for communication — said, while addressing a press conference.
The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) had announced July 27, 2026, as the date for general elections and issued the complete election schedule.
According to a notification issued by the region’s Election Commission, polling for all constituencies of the AJK Legislative Assembly will be held on July 27 from 8am to 5pm.
He also vowed to end the long-standing deprivations of the people of AJK, saying that ensuring quality education, providing basic civic facilities and establishing transparent governance were among the party’s foremost priorities ahead of the upcoming elections.
“All decisions concerning Azad Kashmir would be made in accordance with the aspirations and interests of its people, and that every commitment made to the Kashmiri people would be fulfilled,” he said, adding that practical measures would be taken to ensure 100% of children in AJK had access to education.
He said the purpose of politics was not merely to attain power but to provide people with essential public services, adding that meaningful change could only be achieved through practical action rather than rhetoric.
Aleem also urged political parties and candidates to accept election results in a democratic spirit, demonstrating humility in victory and patience in defeat.
He said parties that had remained in power for years were still responsible for the hardships faced by the people. “Those who have governed the country two or even three times are now questioning others, whereas they should first be accountable for their own performance.”
Referring to the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, Aleem said the IPP had fielded strong candidates and was receiving overwhelming public support. He praised the prime minister’s leadership, saying he had never lost hope or panicked during difficult circumstances.
He revealed that he had requested the prime minister to allow him to focus entirely on the Ministry of Communications so that Pakistan’s infrastructure could be modernised on a priority basis.
Aleem said construction of modern highways and motorways was progressing rapidly across the country. Road infrastructure projects were underway in Gilgit-Baltistan, while the Sukkur-Karachi Motorway was being connected to the country’s seaport, with work scheduled to commence this year.
He said the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway was being expanded from four to six lanes, while construction of the Lahore-Sialkot-Kharian-Islamabad Motorway was also in progress, reducing the travel distance between Lahore and Islamabad by approximately 100 kilometres. He announced that the Islamabad-Murree Expressway would be extended to Muzaffarabad, which would also be connected to Mansehra through a modern highway, providing the people of Azad Kashmir with safer, faster and more efficient transportation.
Aleem emphasised that Pakistan’s youth represented the country’s bright future and urged them to focus on education and hard work. He noted that the people of South Punjab and interior Sindh had remained deprived of basic infrastructure for decades, pointing out that the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway had remained pending for nearly 30 years, criticising those who now raised questions despite having failed to resolve public issues during their own tenures in government.
Among those who joined the IPP on the occasion were Dr Sardar Zafar Iqbal (LA-25 Upper Neelum), Sardar Murtaza Ali Ahmad (Poonch), Sardar Abdul Jabbar Mughal (Constituency 4, Jhelum Valley), District Council Member Aamir Naeem, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah (Kotli-Muzaffarabad), Councillor Shujaa Mangol Advocate, Chaudhry Abdul Qadeer Gujjar (LA-35), Sardar Sajjad Gul (Neelum), Chairman Haji Iftikhar Mughal, Chairman Faheem Mushtaq, Media Coordinator Raja Qamar Zaman, Party Spokesperson Sardar Mashal Younis, Syed Inam Gilani (Jhelum Valley), Councillor Khalid Mehmood, Councillor Nauman Usman, Hafiz Ahmad Butt (LA-42), Sardar Nazakat Minshad (Valley-3), Nauman Ali Chughtai, Asim Hameed, Farhan Anwar, and Naveed Chaudhry.
2026-07-04 12:09:00
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