The election outcomes of six constituencies in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly have been formally contested in the AJK Supreme Court. Rival candidates have filed petitions disputing the official victory notifications and alleging irregularities during the electoral process.
The Supreme Court has issued notices to all involved parties and scheduled hearings for September 1 and 3, 2026, to examine the petitions thoroughly.
Specifically, Chaudhry Latif Akbar has challenged Saqib Majeed’s victory in LA-31 Khuiratta-5. Meanwhile, Chaudhry Yasin has contested Raja Riasat’s win in LA-12 Kotli-5. In LA-11 Kotli-4, the success of Raja Asif is being disputed by Chaudhry Akhlaq Ahmed.
Similarly, Javed Iqbal Budhanvi has questioned Sardar Umair Naeem’s triumph in LA-9 Kotli-3. Chaudhry Pervaiz Ashraf has filed a challenge against Colonel Waqar Noor’s victory in LA-5 Bhimber-1, and Mushtaq Minhas has approached the court contesting Sardar Ziaul Qamar’s win in LA-15 Central Bagh.
The petitioners have urged the Supreme Court to re-evaluate the election results and to take appropriate legal action against any winning candidates found guilty of electoral violations.
In a related development, the AJK Election Commission announced on August 16 that polling for eight reserved assembly seats is scheduled for August 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. These reserved seats include five for women, one for Ulema-e-Deen or Mushaikh, one for state subjects residing abroad, and one for technocrats. Nomination papers can be submitted on August 20, followed by scrutiny and publication of the final candidates list. Appeals regarding nominations can be filed on August 21, with hearings by the chief election commissioner on August 22 and verdicts announced on August 23. Withdrawal of appeals is allowed until 2 p.m. on the same day.
The AJK Assembly consists of 53 seats in total: 45 are directly elected, and eight are reserved, elected by the directly elected members. However, elections for seven directly elected seats—five in Poonch and two in Sudhnoti—have not been conducted due to security concerns. Consequently, only 38 of the 45 directly elected members will participate in the reserved-seat vote, representing 84.4 percent of the membership.
Separately, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif convened a meeting focused on women’s reserved seats, where participants commended the significant role women played in the recent AJK elections, highlighting it as a positive development for democracy.
Regarding the overall election results so far, PML-N has secured 24 seats—nine in Mirpur division during the first phase on July 27, and 15 in Muzaffarabad division and refugee seats in the second phase on August 2—while PPP has won 10 seats. The elections are being conducted in three phases due to regional unrest. The third phase, intended to cover the entire Poonch division, has only taken place in Bagh and Haveli. Polling dates for Poonch and Sudhnoti districts remain unannounced.
