Tick tock, countdown has begun: Pak's Bhutto warns Sharif's PML-N over POK polls

Pakistan's ruling coalition appears to be in its most fragile state yet as two of its biggest members, the Pakistan People's Party (PML-N) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) remain embroiled in a vicious war of words over ongoing elections in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. This ongoing verbal warfare has seen both sides hurl accusations of vote rigging in the illegally occupied region, with PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari declaring to his PML-N rivals, "Tick tock, tick tock. Your countdown has begun."According to a report by the Karachi-based newspaper, Dawn, Zardari on Monday accused the PMLN of orchestrating widespread rigging in the polls in the POK. According to the report, these remarks came days after Zardari had warned that any attempt to "steal" the election would trigger a "countdown" for the federal government itself.In a series of videos posted on X, Bilawal said the PPP's campaign for "governance, ownership and employment" would no longer remain confined to Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan. Both are integral territories of India and have been illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947-48."This movement will not remain restricted to the mountains of Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan. God willing, I will run this movement across Pakistan," he said, before addressing the PML-N directly: "Listen carefully, tick tock, tick tock. Your countdown has begun." Bilawal's remarks drew mixed reactions online, with many Pakistanis criticising both the PPP's governance and its alliance with the PML-N.A person urged Bilawal to focus on improving Sindh province (ruled by the PPP) before seeking support elsewhere. "Kashmiris did not vote for you after seeing things in Karachi. First improve Sindh and then go somewhere else and ask for votes," the user wrote. Another person said, "First, give Sindh its rights."Punjab Information Minister and PML-N leader Azma Bokhari mocked Bilawal's warning, quipping, "Oh no, we are scared. What will happen now?"WHAT ARE THE ELECTIONS TAKING PLACE IN POKSo-called elections are currently underway in POK. The first phase was held on July 27, the second phase took place on August 3 and the final phase is scheduled for August 10. Following the first two phases, the PML-N has emerged as the clear frontrunner.Bhutto Zardari's PPP trails in a distant second with nine seats won so far.Its ally, the PPP, which was in power in the POK, is now finding it tough to put up a fight in an election which India has called a "sham".Ironically, even as the PPP and the PML-N trade accusations of vote rigging, Pakistani security forces are in the midst of enforcing a ruthless crackdown on civilians protesting against Islamabad's rule, which has resulted in more than 40 deaths since the elections commenced.On paper, the PPP and PML-N are nominally allies. But for the so-called polls in POK, both parties are sharpening their daggers at each other.- EndsPublished By: Shounak SanyalPublished On: Aug 4, 2026 19:57 IST