State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani emphasized on Friday that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) remains steadfast in defending the Kashmiris’ entitlement to representation through refugee constituencies. He delivered these remarks while participating in corner meetings held in Dina, Dhanyala, Kashmir Colony, and Chotala on the concluding day of election rallies.
The meetings supported Raja Siddique, the PML-N candidate for LA-39 Jammu-VI, and Syed Shaukat Shah, the party’s contender for LA-42 Valley-III. Kayani assured that the party would persist in advocating for the rights of voters in refugee seats and uphold their democratic voice within the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly.
He noted that the people of Mirpur Division had shown strong trust in the PML-N, a development that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) finds hard to accept. Meanwhile, Kayani criticized the PPP’s administration, highlighting the decline in Karachi’s sewerage system, water supply, and road infrastructure under its governance. He insisted that the residents and business community of Sindh’s capital deserve improved services and better management.
Expressing optimism about the upcoming elections on August 2, Kayani predicted a comprehensive victory for the PML-N across all refugee constituencies as well as seats in Muzaffarabad Division. The second phase of the AJK elections will conclude its campaigning at midnight on Friday, ahead of the polling scheduled for Sunday, August 2.
Voting will take place in nine constituencies spread across the three districts of Muzaffarabad Division — Muzaffarabad, Neelum, and Jhelum Valley — in addition to 12 refugee constituencies. A total of 208 candidates are contesting the nine seats within Muzaffarabad Division.
The AJK Election Commission has registered 890,621 voters in the division, comprising 427,955 men and 381,666 women. To facilitate the electoral process, 1,483 polling stations have been set up across the three districts, including 1,205 in Muzaffarabad district, 278 in Neelum, and 328 in Jhelum Valley.
