Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday made a rare call for political unity, extending an olive branch to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and urging its leaders and workers to join hands with his party, abandon the politics of boycott and participate in the electoral process against alleged rigging in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir polls.

Addressing an election rally in Muzaffarabad, Bilawal criticised the PTI for boycotting elections, saying, “If you want to boycott, then stay at home” and urged the party to fight for its rights by taking part in elections and engaging in politics.

He also invited PTI leaders and workers to join hands with the PPP.

“Today, I extend my hand to PTI workers. Today, I extend my hand to the sincere politicians of PTI. Every political party that is tired of rigging, every political worker who wants to make their own decision — come, take my hand,” he said, adding that “together, we can also bring reforms through Parliament.”

Bilawal said Pakistan and AJK should have free and fair elections, adding that if the agenda was limited to ensuring transparent polls, he was ready to work with all political parties to achieve that objective.

The PPP chairman also launched a fresh attack on the ruling PML-N, claiming it feared another electoral defeat in AJK after losing Gilgit-Baltistan because it could weaken its position in the federal government.

Alleging that the PML-N was stealing the PPP’s mandate, Bilawal warned that such actions would have political consequences.

Read: AJK Assembly passes resolution seeking Truth Commission into recent unrest

“If you keep stealing our mandate, your federal government will fall and I will come to unseat you,” he said, adding that PPP workers had resisted military rulers in the past and would continue to defend the party’s mandate.

Bilawal also accused the PML-N of benefiting from electoral rigging, alleging that the AJK Election Commission had ignored video evidence submitted by the PPP regarding alleged irregularities in Mirpur.

Questioning the commission’s decision to issue the election notification despite the complaints, he demanded that all complaints relating to the first phase of polling be resolved before Aug 2.

He also called for election records and voter rolls to be made public, saying transparency was essential to restoring confidence in the electoral process.

Read More: AJK polls’ first phase results notified

Bilawal questioned whether the PML-N’s political interests had become more important than Pakistan’s national interest and said the PPP would not accept what he described as a stolen mandate, vowing to protect his party’s electoral rights.

Turning to his party’s manifesto for AJK, Bilawal said the PPP had historically advanced the Kashmir cause, claiming that former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had secured observer status for Kashmir at the United Nations.

He pledged that, if elected, the PPP would include AJK in the National Finance Commission Award, grant it representation in the Senate and ensure the people of Kashmir received property rights, employment opportunities for young people and the right to govern themselves.

He also called for the rights of Kashmiri migrants living in Pakistan to be recognised and proposed proportional representation for Kashmiri migrants in all provincial assemblies.

Bilawal pledged that communities affected by development projects would receive their due share of revenues.

Referring to the Neelum-Jhelum project, he said that since it generated electricity for Pakistan, the people of Muzaffarabad deserved clean drinking water, electricity, employment opportunities for local youth and a fair share of the project’s revenues.

He said the PPP would ensure that the proceeds of all development projects were shared with the people of Kashmir and that every penny would be accounted for.

Bilawal also said the issues of Kashmiris residing in Sialkot who did not own land would be raised in the Punjab Assembly.

Calling employment a basic right, he said jobs created through development projects in AJK should first be offered to local youth.

He said internet services had been restored in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur, adding that his party would work to provide high-speed internet so young people could remain connected with the rest of the world.

Welcoming development initiatives in AJK, Bilawal said he appreciated every bus and hospital provided to the people of Kashmir, but added that such services should remain operational.

Also Read: Bilawal seeks to shield coalition from AJK poll rift

Criticising the PML-N government, he questioned why infrastructure projects had remained incomplete despite the passage of several years and claimed that all three medical colleges in AJK had been established by the PPP.

He said Muzaffarabad needed roads, justice, employment opportunities, hospitals and the right to self-determination.

“I do not want to make Kashmir Punjab or Sindh; I want to make Kashmir strong and independent,” he said.

Referring to recent unrest in AJK, Bilawal said the people had endured difficult times as roads remained blocked and businesses had suffered disruptions. He said public suffering should be alleviated, banking services restored and essential services resumed.

He said the truth commission was no longer merely his proposal, claiming that the AJK Legislative Assembly had already passed the relevant resolution. He urged the federal government to implement it and appealed to protesters to end their sit-in and accept the commission.

“If you want peace in Kashmir, then vote for the Arrow and the PPP,” he said.

Bilawal called on voters to come out with their families on Aug 2 and vote for the PPP’s arrow election symbol.

He also thanked supporters for attending the rally despite the rain, saying their presence reflected the people’s support for the PPP and Benazir’s legacy.