The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) each claimed victory in one constituency of Muzaffarabad Division as unofficial results surfaced on Wednesday from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections. Voting took place on Tuesday in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I and LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II, after being postponed on August 2 due to unfavorable weather conditions.
The second phase of the AJK elections had been held on Sunday across 19 of the 21 constituencies, including seven seats in Muzaffarabad Division and 12 reserved for Kashmiri refugees residing in Pakistan. Unofficial tallies from all 197 polling stations in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I showed PML-N’s Noreen Arif winning the seat with 18,919 votes, narrowly defeating Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’s (IPP) Sardar Tabarak Ali, who received 18,621 votes.
Meanwhile, in LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II, PPP’s Bazil Ali Naqvi secured the seat with 28,170 votes, while PML-N’s Chaudhry Shehzad came in second with 26,864 votes, based on unofficial counts from 174 polling stations. With the conclusion of voting in these two delayed constituencies, results for all 21 seats in the second phase have now been announced.
Following these results, PML-N’s tally rose to 15 seats, whereas the PPP secured 6 seats in this phase of the AJK Legislative Assembly elections. An Election Commission spokesperson for AJK confirmed that polling in all constituencies of Poonch Division is scheduled for August 10, urging voters to disregard rumors and exercise their voting rights as planned. The spokesperson assured that any necessary changes would be communicated promptly.
In a significant development, PPP leader Sherry Rehman accused polling staff in LA-27 of being found at the residence of a PML-N supporter along with ballot papers. She claimed that videos allegedly showing rigging had been submitted to election authorities as evidence and called for immediate administrative and legal action, demanding a transparent investigation and accountability for those involved.
Rehman questioned the impartiality of the election process and the credibility of institutions overseeing it, criticizing the continuation of duties by the involved polling staff despite the alleged irregularities. She insisted that all individuals responsible for manipulating the electoral process be held legally accountable.
On the other hand, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah dismissed the PPP’s accusations, labeling a related video as fabricated and part of a disinformation campaign. He stated that no complaints had been received about polling staff at any station and challenged the PPP to provide evidence before the election commission. Sanaullah emphasized that no formal complaints had been filed regarding polling officials and accused the PPP of promoting a rigging narrative without substantiated proof.
