The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission announced on Friday a revised timetable for the third phase of the regional elections, postponing voting in Poonch and Sudhanoti districts. Initially, elections were scheduled for August 10 across 11 seats in four districts within the Poonch division during this phase. However, the commission confirmed that polling will now proceed only in Bagh and Haveli districts for the third phase.
The first two phases of the elections took place on July 27 and August 2, covering the Mirpur and Muzaffarabad divisions respectively. Following these rounds, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) appears positioned to form the new AJK government. Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah stated that the party has achieved a simple majority.
The second phase involved voting in 21 constituencies, including nine seats in the Muzaffarabad division and 12 reserved for Kashmiri refugees residing in Pakistan. Unofficial and preliminary results showed the PML-N leading with 15 of these seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured six.
During the first phase, the PML-N won nine constituencies, with the PPP obtaining four, based on unofficial counts. Both phases were, however, overshadowed by allegations of rigging and violence, primarily raised by the PPP. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari condemned the elections as flawed, stating the federal government’s “countdown has begun” after his party’s reduced seat count in what he described as “rigged” polls.
In a video address on August 3, Bilawal characterized the elections as neither free nor fair, labeling them “bullet elections,” “murderous elections,” and “bloody elections.” The PML-N strongly denied these accusations. Rana Sanaullah challenged the PPP to provide concrete evidence of rigging to the election commission, criticizing their narrative as politically motivated without substantiation.
