ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a meeting with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday to discuss matters relating to the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, scheduled for July 26.
The meeting took place at Aiwan-i-Sadr, where the two leaders exchanged views on the overall political situation in the country, developments in AJK, and key regional and international issues. They also discussed the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Iran and its implications for the region.
The meeting comes amid intensified political activity ahead of the polls in AJK.
According to the PPP, the meeting focused on the country’s overall political situation, including preparations for the forthcoming AJK elections.
Last month, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman met and announced that their parties would jointly contest the AJK general elections.
Meanwhile, the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has announced plans to stage widespread protests across AJK, demanding the abolition of 12 reserved seats ahead of the elections.
This was the second meeting between Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Ishaq Dar in recent weeks.
During their previous meeting last week, the two leaders discussed the political situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
According to an official statement issued after that meeting, both leaders underscored the importance of holding free, fair, and transparent general elections in AJK.
Last month, the PPP formed the government in Gilgit-Baltistan with the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), reflecting the coalition arrangement between the two parties at the federal level.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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