Muzaffarabad: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has promised to revive development projects in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, saying that if his party wins the elections, he will ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to make him the prime minister of AJK.
Addressing a PML-N election rally in Muzaffarabad, Nawaz Sharif said he had deep affection for Muzaffarabad, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Azad Kashmir.
“Motorways, highways and expressways have been constructed across Pakistan, but the road here remains the same as it was 30 years ago. Why was a highway not built between Kohala and Muzaffarabad?” he questioned.
Nawaz Sharif recalled that when he was prime minister of Pakistan and Raja Farooq Haider served as AJK premier, he had approved the construction of a scenic motorway from Mansehra to Muzaffarabad and onward to Mirpur along the River Jhelum.
He described the project as a major gift from the PML-N to Azad Kashmir, saying it would have led to the development of an extensive network of roads, hospitals, schools, colleges and universities while bringing prosperity to the region.
The former prime minister said he had never discriminated between Azad Kashmir and Pakistan’s provinces—Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—or Islamabad.
“Azad Kashmir is as dear to me as Punjab. It is my second home because my ancestors migrated from Kashmir,” he said.
Nawaz Sharif said he had asked Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to take a gift for the people of Kashmir, just as guests traditionally take sweets or presents when visiting someone’s home.
He pledged that every development project would be completed if the PML-N formed the next government in Azad Kashmir.
“If we win the elections, my heart tells me to ask Shehbaz Sharif to make me the prime minister of Azad Kashmir,” Nawaz Sharif remarked.
He added that even if he did not become AJK prime minister, he would visit Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot and other cities every three months to review progress on development projects. He said he would also bring the prime minister with him during these visits.
Referring to the initiatives of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the PML-N leader announced that 10 green buses would arrive in Muzaffarabad within the next few days, while electric buses would also begin operating soon. He added that 15 mobile hospitals would be sent to Azad Kashmir.
Nawaz Sharif expressed regret that patients in remote areas were still carried on traditional beds to reach roads before being transported to Islamabad for treatment, with some dying on the way.
He maintained that the situation would have been different if the projects initiated during his tenure had been completed.
The former prime minister said no more time should be wasted in securing prosperity and development for the people of Azad Kashmir.
He accused the governments that succeeded him of relying on slogans instead of undertaking development work, causing damage to Pakistan. He promised that the PML-N would address all previous shortcomings if it returned to power.
Nawaz Sharif concluded by praying that Muzaffarabad would surpass Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and other major cities in development.
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