Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vows revolution of development in AJK

Lahore : Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Friday vowed to bring about a revolution of  development in Azad Jammu and Kashmir where his party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was set to form government by getting clean sweep victory in the election of the AJK Legislative Assembly.

Addressing a public gathering here at University Ground, the prime minister thanked the AJK people for supporting the party to win 32 seats out of 41 of the Legislative Assembly through direct elections by rejecting what the prime minister termed as `culture of negative politics.’

Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid, Minister for Kashmir Affairs Barjis Tahir and Special Assistant to PM Asif Kirmani accompanied the prime minister who was received by the PML-N leader Raja Farooq Haider along with other party leaders in the AJK capital.

Prime Minister Sharif arrived here the very next day of his arrival in Islamabad after his recovery from the open heart surgery in London.

Nawaz Sharif said the AJK people have defeated the mainstream leaders of the opposition parties referring to the defeat of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Barrister Sultan by his party’s Ch Saeed. He also laughed off the much-hyped mass movement announced by the PTI against his government saying one could guess as what would be the scale of that movement. “They will launch the movement only to the size of what they got in AJK general election – just two seats and PML-N got 32,” the prime minister said with a smiling face.

Nawaz Sharif assured the charged gathering that the next five years would be exemplary for the development of AJK. The PML-N’s would-be government is going to develop a network of motorways and highways besides spending huge amounts on education and health sectors.

The prime minister also appreciated his team for successful electioneering in AJK including Pervaiz Rashid, Asif Kirmani,Barjis Tahir, Raja Farooq Haider and local party leaders though he was unable to take part for being in London for his open heart surgery.

He said the opposition parties heavily criticized him during the election campaign but he did not respond to anyone. “Performance, not sit-ins bring about success in politics.Thanks God, we are setting a new record of development in Pakistan that is being evidenced by the world. Pakistan has joined the emerging markets,” the prime minister remarked. Amid the slogans of `dekho dekho kon aya- sher aya sher aya’,`Mian de naaray wajjan ge’ and others, Prime Minister Sharif said by giving PML-N two-third majority, the AJK people had pleased him and he could not stop visiting them the very next day of the election.

He said the development being witnessed in Pakistan would now change the fate of AJK as a new era of progress was about to herald there.

The prime minister also thanked the activists of Muslim Students Federation, the youth wing of his party for their dedicated efforts to help the party win a thumping victory in the election.He assured the newly elected MLAs that all of their commitments, they had made with their electorates, would be fulfilled.      Nawaz Sharif said he never discriminated between Pakistan and AJK and recalled that the PML-N had recently obtained two-third majority in the elections of the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly.

He said the AJK people had been faced with massive corruption and malfunctioning in the past and the results of this election was reaction to those malpractice.”It will not happen again. Every penny will be accounted for. I myself will oversee (the spending),” the prime minister assured. However, the prime minister said at this moment of celebration, we should not forget the oppressed people of Indian Occupied Kashmir who had been sacrificing their lives for their freedom.

“No one can deter their movement. This will meet success. They are being killed. We are awaiting their prayers to be fulfilled and for the day when Kashmir will become Pakistan,” the prime minister said.      He said people of Pakistan were with their brethren of Occupied Kashmir and would never give up their support. He also concluded his speech by raising a slogan `Freedom movement of Occupied Kashmir’ that was responded by the people by saying `long live’.

Prime Minister Sharif said his government would expand his government’s health scheme currently from Muzaffarabad to throughout AJK which ensures free health treatment to the poor people.In his address, President of PML-N’s AJK Chapter Raja Farooq Haider thanked the AJK people and hoped that the AJK would achieve progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Sharif.

Noreen Arif, the female MLA-elect said the Nawaz Sharif’s government had introduced several projects for uplift of the youth and requested him to launch such projects in AJK as well.

Later, the prime minister mixed up with the residents of Muzaffarabad who shook hand with him. They chanted slogans in his support and the prime minister waved to respond their sentiments.