'Yeh Kashmir hai, Kashmore ni,' Nawaz Sharif takes jibe at Bilawal

Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has said that political rivalry should remain within the bounds of respectful debate and must never descend into violence.

Addressing an election rally in Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Nawaz Sharif responded to remarks by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, saying, “Don’t mistake Kashmir for Kashmore; this is Mirpur, not Mirpur Khas.

Bilawal, my young friend, don’t take it personally. Political parties should engage in healthy political exchanges, but there should be no fighting or violence.”

Sharif said he shares a deep bond with Kashmir and considers Azad Kashmir his “first home, not a second one.” He added that the region had not witnessed the level of development it deserved since his tenure, questioning what successive governments had achieved for Kashmir.

He said he had brought a comprehensive manifesto for Azad Kashmir and pledged that, if PML-N forms the government, development projects across Pakistan and AJK would bear the party’s imprint. He identified education for young people as a top priority and promised the establishment of specialised cancer and cardiac hospitals in the region.

Sharif also announced that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is introducing modern electric buses and 10 mobile hospitals for Azad Kashmir.

He pledged that a future PML-N government would construct motorways across the region, build an expressway linking Murree and Muzaffarabad, extend natural gas supply to every household in Mirpur, and urge Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to establish an international airport in the city.