PM Shehbaz Congratulates PML-N as Party Retains Lead in Second Phase of AJK Polls

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday congratulated PML-N leadership and successful candidates after unofficial results from the second phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections showed the party securing 14 of the 18 seats contested on Sunday.

The PML-N’s main electoral rival and coalition partner at the federal level, the PPP, has accused the ruling party of electoral irregularities, rigging and violence during Sunday’s polling. The PPP had levelled similar allegations during the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections in the Mirpur division on July 27, when the PML-N won nine of 13 seats and the PPP secured the remaining four.

The AJK elections are being conducted in three phases due to security concerns. In the second phase, polling was held on Sunday for seven constituencies in the Muzaffarabad division and 12 refugee seats reserved for refugees from India-occupied Kashmir. The third phase will cover 11 constituencies in the Poonch division.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated PML-N leaders and successful candidates following the party’s performance in the second phase.

The premier attributed the party’s continued electoral success to the efforts of PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and the wider party organisation.

Shehbaz said the PML-N had conducted an effective election campaign in AJK and that its performance reflected public confidence in the party’s policies. He said the development and prosperity of AJK and the welfare of its people remained among the PML-N government’s key priorities.

The prime minister also noted the active participation of political parties in the second phase, saying it would contribute to strengthening the democratic process.

Results breakdown

Radio Pakistan earlier reported the unofficial results of Sunday’s polling, citing AJK Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, who announced the results during a press briefing in Muzaffarabad.

According to the unofficial count, the PML-N won 14 seats, while the PPP secured four.

Unofficial results:

• LA-34: PML-N’s Nasir Dar
• LA-35: PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Ismail
• LA-36: PML-N’s Muhammad Ahsan Raza
• LA-37: PML-N’s Maryam Javed
• LA-38: PML-N’s Zeeshah Ali
• LA-39: PML-N’s Raja Muhammad Siddique Khan
• LA-41: PML-N’s Muhammad Amir Shah
• LA-42: PML-N’s Syed Shawkat Ali Shah
• LA-43: PML-N’s Muhammad Yasin Lone
• LA-44: PML-N’s Ahmad Raza Qadiri
• LA-25: PML-N’s Ghulam Qadir
• LA-30: PML-N’s Mustafa Bashir Abbasi
• LA-31: PML-N’s Saqib Majeed Khan
• LA-32: PML-N’s Raja Farooq Haider Khan
• LA-40: PPP’s Amir Abdul Ghaffar Khan
• LA-45: PPP’s Abdul Majid Khan
• LA-26: PPP’s Mian Abdul Waheed Khan
• LA-29: PPP’s Sardar Mukhtar Ahmad Khan

Polling in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I (Kutla) was postponed until Tuesday. Voting was also deferred at 71 of the 174 polling stations in LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II (Lachhrat) after landslides and adverse weather blocked roads, preventing polling staff and election material from reaching the constituencies.

Following the release of the unofficial results, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs and PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said the party had secured the numbers required to form a government in AJK.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam, Sanaullah said the PML-N had so far won 23 of the AJK Legislative Assembly’s 45 seats.

He said the PML-N had secured four of the seven territorial constituencies in Muzaffarabad, while the PPP had won three. Sanaullah accused the PPP of attempting to build a narrative of electoral rigging.

He also said the PML-N had won 10 of the 12 refugee seats, compared with two secured by the PPP.

Sanaullah said the party would form a democratic government based on the public mandate and would focus on the region’s political, economic and ideological affairs. He added that the PML-N would convene a parliamentary party meeting after the third phase of polling to discuss future decisions.

Rejecting the PPP’s allegations of rigging, Sanaullah accused the party of working with the now-proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) to disrupt the electoral process in Muzaffarabad.

He alleged that violence and firing targeting police personnel created fear among voters and affected turnout, claiming the PML-N lost between 3,000 and 4,000 votes as a result.

Sanaullah also rejected the PPP’s allegation that an attempt had been made on the life of AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker and PPP candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar, calling it a staged incident. He alleged that the PPP had declined to have Akbar undergo a medico-legal examination.

He accused the PPP of using tactics that undermined the election process and urged the party to pursue complaints through legal and electoral channels instead of making allegations that could disrupt democracy.

Reports of attempts to disrupt voting emerged from several areas of Muzaffarabad during Sunday’s polling, although voting continued in most constituencies.

In LA-31 Muzaffarabad-V (Khawra), clashes were reported between PML-N and PPP workers in Union Council Katkair.

The PPP alleged that one of its workers, Syed Mushtaq Shah, was killed in an attack by PML-N supporters. The PML-N rejected the allegation, saying Shah suffered a cardiac arrest following a confrontation between the two groups. Neither account was independently verified.

PPP candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar also wrote to the AJK chief election commissioner, alleging security failures, firing incidents, interference in polling, restrictions on polling agents and denial of voting rights.

Akbar further alleged that an attempt had been made on his life and that Advocate Syed Mumtaz Hussain Naqvi was injured in the incident. He called for an investigation and legal action against those responsible. The Election Commission had not immediately responded.

Clashes between supporters of the two major parties were also reported in other areas, with some incidents involving firearms, although no casualties were immediately confirmed.

Kashmiris living outside AJK also voted for candidates contesting the refugee seats at polling stations established across several districts, including Chakwal, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Sargodha, Attock, Nawabshah, Hyderabad, Mohmand, Mansehra, Quetta, Dera Ghazi Khan, Peshawar, Sanghar and Naushahro Feroze.

Polling in these areas was largely peaceful but turnout remained low. In Mohmand, no voter appeared at one polling station established for the AJK elections.

In Dera Ghazi Khan, only one registered female voter cast her ballot at a polling station set up at the Government Elementary School in Maumori.

Of the 12 refugee seats, seven are located in Punjab, one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while others are shared among Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan.

The AJK election process has taken place amid months of unrest linked to the now-proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee. Since early June, the group has staged protests demanding the abolition of the 12 refugee seats in the AJK legislature. The demonstrations have also witnessed incidents of violence.