ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has consolidated its position as the leading political party after the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) emerging as the second-largest political force.
The PML-N has secured 24 seats so far, while the PPP has won 10 seats in the 53-member AJK Legislative Assembly.
The results for two constituencies in the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections are pending after the Election Commission ordered re-polling at 23 polling stations in Bagh.
The final party position will become clear after re-polling in the two constituencies and elections in the remaining seven constituencies of the Poonch Division’s Rawalkot and Sudhanoti districts.
Re-polling will be held at nine polling stations in LA-15 Bagh-II and 14 in LA-16 Bagh-III on August 15, according to an Election Commission spokesperson.
The third phase was also marked by a disputed result in LA-17 Bagh-IV, where PPP candidate and AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was declared the winner against PML-N candidate Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz, according to state-run Radio Pakistan.
Aziz rejected the result and staged a sit-in outside the returning officer’s office after his request for a recount was turned down. He alleged that the results had been tampered with and claimed, based on results held by his campaign, that he had won the constituency by 8,600 votes.
Aziz also alleged that the returning officer’s bias had disrupted the peaceful environment in Haveli and claimed the constituency’s mandate had been “stolen”.
Meanwhile, Awami Dast-o-Baazo Party’s candidate, Sajid Iqbal Abbasi, defeated former prime minister and Muslim Conference candidate, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, in LA-14 Bagh-I.
According to the results from all 214 polling stations in the constituency, Abbasi secured 40,702 votes, while Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan received 19,542 votes.
The defeat of Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan is being described as one of the most significant upsets of the Azad Kashmir elections.
The constituency has traditionally been considered a stronghold of the Muslim Conference and has remained closely associated with the political influence of the Qayyum Khan family.
The seat has been held by the Muslim Conference since 1985. Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan’s father, veteran politician Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, also won the constituency several times.
Although political alliances had been formed against Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan in previous elections, he had managed to retain the seat with substantial majorities on several occasions. This time, however, Sardar Sajid Iqbal succeeded in breaking the Muslim Conference’s long-standing hold on the constituency.
In the latest unofficial results received before the re-polling decision, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Ziaul Qamar was leading with 18,825 votes, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Mushtaq Minhas with more than 15,000 votes. Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Khan had secured more than 12,000 votes.
The result for LA-16 Bagh-III remains pending. The final result will be announced after re-polling is conducted at 12 polling stations.
The third phase of the elections is expected to play an important role in determining the balance of power in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly.
PML-N in strong position to form government
The latest results indicate that the PML-N is in a strong position to form the next AJK government, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has emerged as the second-largest political force. However, the final composition of the Legislative Assembly will become clear only after the completion of the pending results and re-polling.
The third phase was held against the backdrop of tensions between the miscreants of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and the authorities in different parts of AJK.
Elections in the Mirpur and Muzaffarabad divisions were held on July 27 and August 2, respectively.
In the first phase of the AJK elections, the PML-N won nine of 13 seats in the Mirpur division, while the PPP secured four. In the second phase, voters cast ballots for nine seats in the Muzaffarabad division and 12 seats reserved for refugees. The PML-N won 15 seats, while the PPP secured six.
Overall, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the leading party with 24 seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured 10 seats in the elections held so far.
The third phase was initially scheduled to cover all 11 constituencies of Poonch Division. However, the Election Commission later decided to hold polling only in Bagh and Haveli because of concerns over the security situation.
The remaining seven constituencies – five in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti district – are expected to go to the polls by August 20 or 21, according to the AJK election authorities.
Elections held in free, fair and transparent manner
Earlier, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan said the PML-N will form the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir with around a two-thirds majority.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, along with Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam, Rana Sanaullah said the AJK elections were held in a free, fair and transparent manner.
He said the elements who sought to disrupt the elections in the territory failed in their attempts. He urged those staging a sit-in in Rawalakot to call it off, saying the people of Azad Kashmir have given their mandate to their elected representatives.
In his remarks, Amir Muqam expressed gratitude to the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir for reposing confidence in the PML-N. He said the people turned out in large numbers to exercise their right to vote and assured that the promises made to them would be fulfilled.
Meanwhile, PML-N regional secretary general Chaudhry Tariq Farooq said party supremo Nawaz Sharif would have the final say in choosing the next AJK premier, in consultation with the senior leadership.
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“Party decisions are not driven by individual ambition, but by the overarching interests of the party, the public, and the state,” Farooq said in a statement.
“The final call will rest on the political foresight and wisdom of the party leader, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, in close consultation with the senior leadership,” he added.
PPP accuses PML-N of rigging
The rival PPP, which had accused the PML-N of rigging in the previous phases, levelled similar allegations on Monday, claiming that its polling agents were removed from some stations, polling was delayed at several places and ballot papers were stamped illegally in the absence of its agents.
The party also complained of road blockades, violence and alleged interference by PML-N and JI workers at some polling stations, and shared on X copies of complaints it said it had lodged with the Election Commission.
PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman expressed reservations over reports of “rigging and malpractices”, saying the alleged exclusion of polling agents from some stations raised “serious questions” about the transparency of the election process.
