AJK poll campaign ends

MUZAFFARABAD: The election campaign of 421 candidates in 41 constituencies of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly ended at Friday midnight after days of fiery speeches, fascinating claims, allegations and counter-allegations.
It was for the first time in AJK’s parliamentary history that leaders of two mainstream Pakistani parties — Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani of PPP and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif of PML-N — led their parties’ campaign, addressing rallies after rallies at different places.
Several candidates held their last electoral meetings in the evening hours of Friday.
In Muzaffarabad, PPP nominee Khwaja Farooq Ahmed held a big meeting at Upper Adda after 9pm. Mr Ahmed, whom the party has preferred over its sitting MLA, is facing former AJK prime minister and PML-N nominee Raja Farooq Haider, besides several others.
Earlier in the day, the picturesque Neelum valley was the focus of Prime Minister Gilani and Mr Sharif who addressed rallies in Kel in the upper belt and Athmuqam in the lower.
Mr Sharif, who had addressed a rally here on Thursday night, drove to Neelum valley on Friday morning. He addressed a big gathering in the town of Patikka before arriving in Athmuqam where his party has nominated former speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir.
The PML-N chief severely criticised the PPP-led federal government and urged the people “not to vote for the nominees of the rulers involved in loot and plunder”.
Terming Prime Minister Gilani’s participation in the election campaign shameful, Mr Sharif asked why hadn’t the development of Azad Kashmir concerned him over the past three years. “These rulers, who are engaged in loot and plunder in Pakistan, can give you nothing. They just want to fill their coffers with ill-gotten money.”
He said PML-N workers would thwart any attempt to rig the elections.
Prime Minister Gilani accused the rivals of PPP of promoting their personal agenda. “We don’t have any personal agenda. In Pakistan we have the agenda of Pakistan and in Kashmir we have the agenda of Kashmir,” he said.
Mr Gilani said people knew how relentlessly the PPP had fought the dictators. Its founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave the Constitution of 1973 which envisaged respect of institutions, including the army and judiciary.
He said Pakistan would not let the Kashmir issue held hostage by extremists and would continue its endeavours to find a solution to the problem through a peace process.
In 1998, the late Benazir Bhutto had proposed the opening of the Line of Control to reunite the divided families, he said.
“Today every party is participating in these polls and the international community is also satisfied with the arrangements,” he said.
Urging voters to choose PPP nominees, he said he would extend full cooperation to AJK lawmakers for the development of the region.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also addressed a public meeting in Bagh where he rejected a perception that the PML-N was against the army. “We are against a set of generals who brought President Asif Ali Zardari to power through the infamous NRO,” he said.
A rally held by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Friday was addressed by its leader Altaf Hussain on phone from London.
APP adds: With polling only a day away, parties’ flags and posters are hanging in every nook and corner of AJK, replacing most of the billboards and signboards.
Polling for 41 of the 49 assembly seats will be held on Sunday. Eight seats are reserved for women and technocrats