PPP Chairman Bilawal Calls for New Administrative Units in Azad Kashmir, Accuses Election Rigging, Vows to Follow People’s Will.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto‑Zardari said that proposals for new administrative units in Azad Jammu and Kashmir were political rhetoric, and that the party would support the will of the people, not act against it. He spoke at an election rally in Bagh during the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections. Bilawal stressed that good governance is possible only when citizens are empowered, and that the final test will come on August 10, the date of the Poonch vote. He noted that Kashmiri citizens had suffered during a 50‑day shutdown of internet and streets, saying the authorities had offered no solution. Bilawal said a truth and reconciliation commission has been resolved for the assembly. The commission would investigate those who broke the law and pardon those cleared. He criticized the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission for holding elections in multiple phases, saying it allowed rigging, claiming that 10 seats were already secured. Bilawal alleged that the PPP’s mandate was stolen and that PML‑N’s federal government faced a countdown, and that the establishment refused to set up a truth commission or hold free elections. He said new provinces would only work if people are empowered, and that expanding the rights movement to all provinces and villages is necessary. The Azad Jammu and Kashmir assembly has 53 members, including 12 reserved seats for Kashmiri refugees, 6 from Jammu and 6 from Kashmir Valley. A total of 1.154 million voters are registered for 208 candidates across 11 constituencies.