MUZAFFARABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured four seats while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won two as unofficial and unconfirmed results continued to pour in late on Monday from the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections held across 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division.
The counting process remained underway in the remaining constituencies as election officials continued compiling results throughout the night.
Among the declared results, PPP candidate Qasim Majeed won the LA-2 Mirpur-II seat with 12,904 votes, defeating PML-N’s Azeem Bakhsh Chaudhry, who secured 8,182 votes.
In LA-1 Mirpur-I, PML-N candidate Azhar Sadiq won the seat after securing 15,427 votes, defeating PPP candidate Muhammad Afser Shahid, who finished second with 9,832 votes.
In LA-3 Mirpur-III, PPP’s Chaudhry Yasir Sultan emerged victorious with 11,676 votes against 9,832 polled by PML-N candidate Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed.
PML-N’s Rukhsar Ahmed won the LA-4 Mirpur-IV constituency after securing 20,172 votes, defeating PPP candidate Chaudhry Sohaib Arshad, who received 13,865 votes.
In LA-9 Kotli-II, PML-N candidate Umair Niazi secured victory with 31,080 votes, ahead of PPP’s Javed Iqbal Budhanvi, who polled 28,509 votes.
Meanwhile, PML-N candidate Chaudhry Tariq Farooq won the LA-7 Bhimber-III seat with 35,490 votes, defeating independent candidate Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, who secured 25,100 votes.
The first phase of polling concluded at 6pm after the AJK Election Commission extended voting by one hour to facilitate voters.
A total of 296 candidates, including nominees of PPP, PML-N, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and independent contenders, contested the elections across Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber districts.
Election officials said 1,401,439 registered voters were eligible to cast ballots in the first phase, comprising 725,118 men and 675,628 women.
For the polls, the Election Commission established 2,454 polling stations across Mirpur Division, including 597 in Mirpur district, 1,107 in Kotli district and 608 in Bhimber district. Authorities said comprehensive security arrangements were put in place to ensure the smooth conduct of the electoral process.
AJK Chief Election Commissioner Justice Retd Ghulam Mustafa Mughal warned that strict legal action would be taken against anyone attempting to disrupt the voting process.
Separately, AJK Chief Secretary Khushhal Khan said the people of Azad Kashmir had rejected “disruptive elements” and reaffirmed their confidence in the democratic process. He added that all state institutions remained fully prepared to ensure peaceful elections and warned that the law would take its course against anyone seeking to obstruct the electoral process or disturb public order.
Firing incident
One person was killed and three others injured in a shooting incident at a polling station in LA-9 Kotli-II Nakyal, police said.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Kamran Ali confirmed the fatality, while police said polling was suspended at the polling station following the incident.
PPP candidate Javed Budhanvi identified the deceased as Mukhtar Younis, a party worker, adding that his body had been shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed grief over the death and extended condolences to the victim’s family.
In a statement, he alleged that gunfire had been opened by supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Umair Niazi, resulting in the death of his party worker.
Separately, addressing a press conference in Muzaffarabad, Bilawal described the AJK elections as among the most important developments in the region’s history, stressing that transparent and non-controversial polls were essential to ensure an effective government.
He expressed concern over the issue of refugee seats, saying the matter had not been resolved in the manner it should have been before the elections.
Bilawal warned that if the elections became controversial, the mandate of the incoming government would also be disputed, making it difficult for the administration to effectively address public concerns.
Polling largely peaceful: Sanaullah
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said polling in AJK remained largely peaceful, with only one major untoward incident reported during the electoral process.
In a statement, he said a few minor incidents had occurred, but apart from the firing incident, no significant disruptions were reported.
He added that overall arrangements for polling across AJK were satisfactory.
Sanaullah also noted that hot weather conditions prevailed in the region during the day and suggested extending polling hours to facilitate voters.
PPP slams PML-N
PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman condemned what she described as the PML-N’s attempts to make the Azad Kashmir elections controversial, alleging that the party was doing so out of fear of defeat.
She said the people of Kashmir were politically aware and capable of making their own decisions, adding that the relationship between the Kashmiri people and the PPP spanned many years.
Rehman questioned why the PML-N objected if the people of Kashmir wanted to vote for the PPP, asserting that the party could not snatch the public mandate through what she termed underhand tactics.
She maintained that regardless of the methods employed by the PML-N, victory would belong to the PPP.
PPP Information Secretary Shazia Marri said the people of Kashmir would deliver their verdict through the elections.
She described the PPP’s arrow election symbol as a symbol of hope for the people of Mirpur and claimed that rival parties’ camps were silent ahead of the vote.
In a video message alongside his sister Asifa Bhutto-Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari urged voters to come out and cast their ballots if they wanted Kashmir’s future to be decided by the Kashmiri people.
He appealed to voters to stamp the PPP’s arrow symbol and ensure the party’s candidates were elected.
Separately, senior PPP leader Nadeem Afzal Chan expressed concerns over what he alleged was federal interference and the use of official resources in the Azad Kashmir elections.
He called for the polls to be conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner and urged the federal government and its machinery to refrain from any form of interference in the electoral process.
Ballot box set on fire
In LA-6 Bhimber, a clash broke out between workers of two political parties at the Darbar Baba Shadi Shaheed polling station.
PML-N candidate Abdul Razzaq Chaudhry alleged that workers of the rival party started the altercation. He also claimed that IPP workers created a disturbance at Polling Station No. 95.
According to Chaudhry, polling was suspended at both polling stations following the incidents.
The District Returning Officer (DRO) confirmed that a clash had been reported at a polling station in Darbar Baba Shadi Shaheed.
The DRO said miscreants snatched a ballot box and set it on fire, adding that the box contained 232 votes.
The returning officer and security personnel were present at the polling station, while legal action would be taken against those involved.
The DRO said a decision on whether re-polling would be held at the affected polling station would be made later. He added that the situation remained normal at all other polling stations.
The DRO further said that former prime minister Anwarul Haq had also lodged a complaint regarding LA-7. He said he personally visited the polling stations where complaints had been raised and that Anwarul Haq’s polling agents were present there. –Agencies
