Rana Sanaullah, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, stated on Saturday that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) requires only six additional seats to achieve a two-thirds majority in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). He made these remarks while speaking at a public rally in Bagh district, ahead of the third phase of elections in the Poonch division.
The Poonch division consists of 11 constituencies: three in Bagh, one in Haveli, five in Poonch, and two in Sudhnoti district. the updated schedule released by the AJK Election Commission, polling will take place in Bagh and Haveli districts on August 10. The commission will announce new polling dates for the constituencies in Poonch and Sudhnoti after assessing the current circumstances.
Following the first two phases of the elections, the PML-N has established itself as the leading party in AJK, securing 24 seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has won 10 seats. Sanaullah expressed confidence at the rally that the PML-N would claim all four seats contested on August 10.
He also criticized PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who has recently claimed that the countdown for the PML-N government at the center has begun. Sanaullah responded, “Those counting down will themselves be straightened out, and so will their count.” Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam reaffirmed that the PML-N is poised to form the AJK government with a two-thirds majority.
In a related update, the AJK chief election commissioner announced that once the ongoing sit-in issues are resolved, the polling date for Rawalakot will be declared within the next seven days. He also noted that the election campaign for the third phase of the AJK Legislative Assembly elections will conclude at midnight.
A day earlier, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stated that the PML-N was mistaken in assuming it would form the government in AJK, adding that the PML-N government in Islamabad is also at risk. He claimed the countdown for the PML-N government has started, initiated by their own members. Bilawal further alleged internal divisions within the PML-N, saying, “A certain section of the PML-N wants Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to fight with his allies,” and described the real conflict as one between Islamabad and Lahore, labeling it a family issue.
