MUZAFFARABAD: Polling for the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) legislative assembly elections commenced Sunday morning across nine constituencies in the Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies, with voting set to continue until 5 p.m.
The electoral process began at 8 a.m. in five constituencies of Muzaffarabad district, two in Jhelum Valley, and two in Neelum, where 207 candidates are vying for seats. Simultaneously, polling is underway in all 12 refugee constituencies, comprising six seats reserved for refugees from the Kashmir Valley and six for refugees from the Jammu region, with 137 candidates in contention.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured a decisive victory in the first phase of elections held Aug. 27 in Mirpur division, clinching nine of the 13 seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won four. The PPP has since alleged widespread rigging by the PML-N during that phase, accusations the PML-N has firmly denied.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari told a news conference that his party possesses evidence from 30 polling stations where turnout was recorded at 99% and pledged to reclaim all its seats through legal and constitutional means.
The third and final phase of the elections is scheduled for Aug. 10 in Poonch Division.
On Saturday, AJK Election Commission Secretary and Senior Member Muhammad Ahsan urged citizens to participate actively in the polling process, emphasizing that voting represents the democratic expression of the people’s will and the most effective means for citizens to influence lawmaking through their elected representatives.
Coalition Partners Clash Over First-Phase Results
The PPP and PML-N, coalition partners at the federal level, exchanged sharp criticism Tuesday following the conclusion of the first phase, with Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s party alleging electoral fraud and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz urging it to accept defeat.
In a televised statement, Maryam Nawaz hailed the PML-N’s “outstanding victory” and called on the PPP to concede in the spirit of democracy.
“The state does not decide election results; only the people make this decision,” Maryam said in response to Bhutto-Zardari’s allegations. She noted that when the PPP secured a majority in Gilgit-Baltistan’s elections, the PML-N acknowledged it, congratulated it and offered it the opportunity to form the government.
“Now you are alleging rigging by the PML-N; when you won the GB election, there was no rigging there, but as you have lost the AJK election badly, you are now levelling rigging allegations,” Maryam said.
The Punjab chief executive further advised the PPP to focus on performance and governance, questioning the party’s record in Sindh, where it has held power for 17 years.
“Neither did you have the narrative, nor the performance, nor a programme for the people of AJK or any record of your governance,” she said. “During the PPP’s tenure, conditions in AJK became worse. You could not control the situation, and now you are crying over rigging.”
Maryam also reminded the PPP that no interim government was in place before the AJK elections, noting that the PPP had been in power in the region for the past year.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal echoed Maryam’s criticism, terming Bhutto-Zardari’s rigging allegations “undemocratic” and “immature.” Flanked by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Iqbal questioned the PPP’s governance in Sindh and drew comparisons with the PML-N’s performance in Punjab.
“Everything was fine yesterday until 6 p.m.; no allegations of rigging surfaced, and nothing was brought to notice, but that changed as soon as the results came in,” Iqbal said.
PPP Fires Back, Accuses PML-N of ‘Stealing Mandate’
Responding to Maryam’s statement, Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon accused the PML-N of “stealing the mandate” of AJK’s people through “rigged elections.” He said weapons were used openly during the first phase and that a PPP worker was martyred, urging Maryam to condemn the violence, according to reports.
“You are sitting in your position due to a fake mandate,” Sharjeel said, addressing the Punjab chief minister.
Sharjeel also criticized the PML-N’s governance record, accusing the party of governing Punjab despite not being voted into power by the people. He asserted that the PPP’s voter base has “increased with every election” due to its performance.
Comparing the PML-N government to a tenant that had assumed itself to be the landowner, Sharjeel reminded his coalition partners that the PPP leadership “had made sacrifices for the nation, while the PML-N’s leadership has signed deals to flee the country” during times of hardship.
“PPP is acting responsibly and believes that it must maintain peace, but your party is willing to do whatever it takes just to win the elections, whether it is sacrificing innocent lives or stealing people’s mandate,” Sharjeel said.
