Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, announced on Monday that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has achieved a two-thirds majority in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) assembly following three phases of elections. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Sanaullah stated that his party is poised to form the government in AJK with a commanding majority after the reserved-seat elections are concluded.
He highlighted that the PML-N secured 25 seats in the 53-member AJK assembly, emerging as the leading party in the region. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), an ally of PML-N at the federal level, won 11 seats but accused the PML-N of electoral rigging. Sindh’s senior minister Sharjeel Memon described the elections as “Form 47 Plus,” suggesting significant irregularities.
During the press briefing, Sanaullah emphasized that the party had received a decisive mandate from the electorate to bring about positive change in AJK. He pledged that the PML-N government would honor its commitments to the people. He also noted that elections could not be conducted in six constituencies due to prevailing law and order issues.
Expressing gratitude towards Sajid Iqbal of the Awami Dast-o-Baazo party, who won from LA-14 Bagh-I, Sanaullah announced that Iqbal had joined the PML-N team to work towards the region’s development. He assured that Iqbal’s collaboration would contribute to the betterment of Azad Kashmir.
Addressing the ongoing sit-in protests, Sanaullah referred to the participants as “brothers,” while cautioning that approximately 1% to 1.5% of them might be influenced by elements aiming to incite unrest. He reiterated that the people of Kashmir are as integral to Pakistan as any other citizens.
Highlighting the party’s priorities, Sanaullah stated that maintaining law and order in AJK remains paramount. He acknowledged the right to peaceful protest but warned that the proscribed Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) sought to delay the elections. He suggested that the situation could have deteriorated further had the polls not been held as scheduled.
Notably, the AJK government declared JAAC a banned organization on June 5 under the Anti-Terrorism Act, accusing it of terrorist activities. This ban came just days before JAAC’s planned protest on June 9, which demanded the removal of 12 AJK Assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.
