Campaigning for the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections concluded on Friday night, ahead of polling scheduled for August 2. The Election Commission has finalized preparations and started dispatching election materials and personnel to the designated polling stations.
Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. across nine constituencies in the Muzaffarabad division and 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees residing in Pakistan. A total of 208 candidates are contesting the nine seats in the Muzaffarabad division, where 890,621 registered voters are eligible to participate. This division includes the districts of Muzaffarabad, Neelum, and Jhelum Valley.
Within Jhelum Valley district, 177,500 voters are registered across two constituencies. LA-32 (Jhelum Valley-I) has 90,710 registered voters, consisting of 48,200 men and 42,510 women, with 162 polling stations established—51 sensitive, 32 highly sensitive, and 79 normal. LA-33 (Jhelum Valley-II) includes 86,790 voters, with 45,553 men and 41,237 women, supported by 155 polling stations categorized as 52 sensitive, 57 highly sensitive, and 46 normal.
A competitive race is anticipated among candidates from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and independents.
For the 12 refugee seats, 143 candidates are vying for positions, with 438,777 registered voters eligible to cast ballots. A total of 1,057 polling stations have been set up across Pakistan’s four provinces to facilitate voting for Kashmiri refugees.
Kashmiri refugees will elect representatives for six seats each from Jammu and Valley constituencies. The Jammu seats range from LA-34 (Jammu-1) to LA-39 (Jammu-6), while the Valley seats cover LA-40 (Valley-1) to LA-45 (Valley-6).
Notably, constituencies LA-28, LA-29, and LA-31 in Muzaffarabad have been classified as highly sensitive. To ensure security, over 4,000 security personnel will be deployed, with a Quick Response Force from the armed forces on standby to maintain order and voter safety.
In a significant development, the AJK Election Commission has officially notified the results from the first phase of elections, covering 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the leading party, securing nine seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won four.
The PPP leadership, including Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, protested the first-phase results, alleging rigging and questioning the fairness of the polls. The PML-N denied these accusations, rejecting claims of electoral fraud.
In Mirpur district, the PML-N won two of four seats through Azhar Sadiq and Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed, with the PPP capturing the other two via Qasim Majid and Chaudhry Yasir Sultan. The PML-N swept all three constituencies in Bhimber, with victories for Colonel (retd) Waqar Ahmed Noor, Chaudhry Abdul Razzaq, and Chaudhry Tariq Farooq. In Kotli, PML-N secured four of six seats through Umair Naeem, Raja Muhammad Asif, Raja Riasat Khan, and Raja Ayaz Ahmed, while PPP won two seats with Malik Zafar Iqbal and Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin.
The official notification confirms the election of all 13 members from Mirpur Division, giving PML-N an early advantage in the three-phase electoral process. Following the conclusion of the second phase tomorrow, the final phase will take place in Rawalakot Division as political parties intensify their campaigns to gain control of the AJK Legislative Assembly.
