Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said that the forces staging sit-ins wanted to stop the elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, but failed to achieve their objective.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Rana Sanaullah said the people of Azad Kashmir had given their mandate to their elected representatives and that the process of government formation would begin after the completion of the third phase of the elections.
He expressed hope that the groups staging sit-ins would now recognize the ground realities and end their protest. He said the government would review the legitimate demands of the protesters, while those who took up arms or acted as instruments of an enemy would have to face the law.
Addressing allegations of rigging, Rana Sanaullah said those making the allegations had so far failed to provide any evidence. He alleged that the Pakistan Peoples Party was attempting to conceal its defeat behind a narrative of electoral rigging.
He said the PPP was still raising allegations of rigging, although the intensity of the claims had decreased compared with earlier. He expressed hope that the party would accept the results and congratulate the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on its victory.
According to the prime minister's adviser, polling across Azad Kashmir remained largely peaceful and those who attempted to prevent people from exercising their right to vote had failed to achieve their objectives.
Rana Sanaullah further claimed that, based on the results available so far, the PML-N was in a position to form the government in Azad Kashmir with a two-thirds majority. He maintained that the elections had been free, fair and transparent.
