The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured three seats while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won two as unofficial and unconfirmed results continued to pour in late on Monday from the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections held across 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division.
The counting process remained underway in the remaining constituencies as election officials continued compiling results throughout the night.
Among the declared results, PPP candidate Qasim Majeed won the LA-2 Mirpur-II seat with 12,904 votes, defeating PML-N’s Azeem Bakhsh Chaudhry, who secured 8,182 votes.
In LA-3 Mirpur-III, PPP’s Chaudhry Yasir Sultan emerged victorious with 11,676 votes against 9,832 polled by PML-N candidate Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed.
PML-N’s Rukhsar Ahmed won the LA-4 Mirpur-IV constituency after securing 20,172 votes, defeating PPP candidate Chaudhry Sohaib Arshad, who received 13,865 votes.
In LA-9 Kotli-II, PML-N candidate Umair Niazi secured victory with 31,080 votes, ahead of PPP’s Javed Iqbal Budhanvi, who polled 28,509 votes.
Meanwhile, PML-N candidate Chaudhry Tariq Farooq won the LA-7 Bhimber-III seat with 35,490 votes, defeating independent candidate Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, who secured 25,100 votes.
The first phase of polling concluded at 6pm after the AJK Election Commission extended voting by one hour to facilitate voters.
A total of 296 candidates, including nominees of PPP, PML-N, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and independent contenders, contested the elections across Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber districts.
Election officials said 1,401,439 registered voters were eligible to cast ballots in the first phase, comprising 725,118 men and 675,628 women.
For the polls, the Election Commission established 2,454 polling stations across Mirpur Division, including 597 in Mirpur district, 1,107 in Kotli district and 608 in Bhimber district. Authorities said comprehensive security arrangements were put in place to ensure the smooth conduct of the electoral process.
AJK Chief Election Commissioner Justice Retd Ghulam Mustafa Mughal warned that strict legal action would be taken against anyone attempting to disrupt the voting process.
Separately, AJK Chief Secretary Khushhal Khan said the people of Azad Kashmir had rejected “disruptive elements” and reaffirmed their confidence in the democratic process. He added that all state institutions remained fully prepared to ensure peaceful elections and warned that the law would take its course against anyone seeking to obstruct the electoral process or disturb public order.
Firing incident
One person was killed and three others injured in a shooting incident at a polling station in LA-9 Kotli-II Nakyal, police said.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Kamran Ali confirmed the fatality, while police said polling was suspended at the polling station following the incident.
PPP candidate Javed Budhanvi identified the deceased as Mukhtar Younis, a party worker, adding that his body had been shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed grief over the death and extended condolences to the victim’s family.
In a statement, he alleged that gunfire had been opened by supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Umair Niazi, resulting in the death of his party worker.
Separately, addressing a press conference in Muzaffarabad, Bilawal described the AJK elections as among the most important developments in the region’s history, stressing that transparent and non-controversial polls were essential to ensure an effective government.
He expressed concern over the issue of refugee seats, saying the matter had not been resolved in the manner it should have been before the elections.
Bilawal warned that if the elections became controversial, the mandate of the incoming government would also be disputed, making it difficult for the administration to effectively address public concerns.
