MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir moved closer to forming its next government Monday as lawmakers began voting on seven reserved seats, bringing the 53-member Legislative Assembly closer to completion after elections were staggered because of security concerns.
Polling for the seven seats began after 10 a.m. and was scheduled to continue until 1 p.m. The seats include five reserved for women and one each for Ulema and Mashaikh and technocrats and other professionals.
The eighth reserved seat, for Jammu and Kashmir state subjects living abroad, has already been filled. PML-N candidate Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Arain was elected unopposed after being the only person to submit nomination papers.
Under Article 22(1) of the AJK Constitution, the Assembly has 53 members. Forty-five are elected directly, while eight are chosen through reserved seats by the directly elected lawmakers.
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Only 38 of the 45 general seats have been filled so far. Elections in five constituencies in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti district could not be held because of law and order concerns. The 38 elected lawmakers are therefore taking part in Monday’s reserved-seat vote.
The PML-N has won 25 of the 38 directly elected seats, while the PPP secured 12. The lone elected member of the Awami Dast-o-Bazu party has also joined the PML-N, strengthening its position in the incoming Assembly.
Six candidates are contesting the five women’s seats. The PML-N has fielded Riffat Abid, Sehrish Qamar, Maryam Idrees and Maryam Zaman, also known as Maryam Kashmiri. The PPP candidates are Farzana Yaqoob and Zobia Khurshid Raja.
For the Ulema and Mashaikh seat, PPP’s Hafiz Tariq Mahmood is competing against PML-N’s Mohammad Mazhar Saeed. The technocrats and professionals’ seat is being contested by PML-N’s Barrister Syed Iftikhar Gillani and PPP’s Sahibzada Zulfiqar Ali.
The AJK elections were held in three phases, beginning July 27, followed by Aug. 2 and Aug. 10. Security concerns led the Election Commission to postpone voting in several constituencies in Poonch and Sudhnoti.
The PPP has alleged widespread rigging and questioned the transparency of the election process. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said his party’s concerns must be addressed before it can consider a genuine political alliance with the PML-N.
Tensions between the two parties have also surfaced at the federal level, where the PPP has recently challenged the government’s handling of major legislation in the National Assembly.
The incoming AJK Assembly is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. Monday, shortly after the reserved-seat results are announced. Newly elected members will be sworn in by outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, who lost his own seat in the recent election.
The reserved-seat results will determine the Assembly’s final composition and set the stage for the formation of the next AJK government.
