ISLAMABAD: The second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections took place on Sunday, with polling held in eight out of the nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies.
Polling began at 8am and continued till 5pm for the refugee seats, while the process concluded at 6pm in Muzaffarabad after an hour-long extension.
Polling in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-II, commonly known as Kutla, was deferred until August 4 after polling material could not be dispatched due to a landslide.
Similarly, polling in 52 of the 147 polling stations of LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II has also been postponed until August 4 for the same reason.
Over 300 candidates were in the fray for the Muzaffarabad seats and the 12 seats for refugees settled in different regions.
Continuing his rigging allegations, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday accused the PML-N of “robbing” votes in the second phase of the AJK elections as well.
In a post on X later in the day, he condemned an “attack” on the party’s regional president, Chaudhry Latif Akbar — also the candidate for LA-31 (Muzaffarabad-V).
Accusing “miscreant elements of the PML-N” of being behind the incident, Bilawal said PPP worker Mushtaq Shah was killed in the same constituency.
“The PML-N is robbing the votes of the people of Azad Kashmir through bullets, batons and coercion,” he alleged.
The PPP chairman demanded that those responsible for the attack on Akbar and the “murderers” of the party worker be arrested immediately.
In a separate statement, Bilawal said, “The PML-N has crossed all limits. Attacks are taking place on our voters and the president of the state (AJK).”
He remarked that in Muzaffarabad, the PPP’s “politics of dignity and principles was in contest with the PML-N’s threat, rigging and coercion”.
The PPP shared a complaint written to the Election Commission regarding a “physical assault” on Akbar.
The party said the LA-31 candidate was “engaged in the electoral process on polling day” when the alleged incident took place, accusing three individuals.
It said a first information report (FIR) was being registered and urged the Election Commission to order an inquiry into the “security lapse” that resulted in the incident.
AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, who belongs to the PPP, took notice of the incident and ordered the chief secretary and the police chief to take those responsible to justice.
The AJK PM termed the attack “a slap on the politics of dignity and principle in Kashmir”.
Akbar also wrote two letters to the Election Commission. In one, he alleged that an attempt on his life was made at Polling Station 177 “by PML-N workers” and wrote of the PPP worker’s death.
He further claimed that his polling agents were not allowed to “sit in the polling area” at 14 polling stations.
In the second letter, Akbar said PPP leader Syed Mumtaz Hussain Naqvi sustained bullet wounds in a “[murderous] attack” at a polling station in a building.
Addressing a press conference, PPP leader Nayyar Hussain Bokhari claimed that eight party workers had been injured in the ongoing elections so far.
Bokhari contended there was a “state of lawlessness” in AJK.
Polls in AJK are being held in three phases over security concerns, with the first set of polls held in Mirpur division on July 27, the second held today, and the third phase set for August 10 across Poonch division.
Ahead of today’s elections, internet services were restored in parts of Muzaffarabad division after remaining suspended for 54 days on July 29. At the time, it was not clear whether the restoration covered the entire division or was limited to the state capital.
Addressing the media on Sunday, the AJK CEC said that a letter had been written yesterday to request the restoration of internet services.
He added that the outcome would be known today, without providing further details.
“We will work according to the law; we will not come under pressure from anyone,” CEC Mughal said to a question.
Preliminary, unofficial results
According to preliminary and unofficial results, the PML-N was leading in seven constituencies, while the PPP was ahead in three as vote counting continued in the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) local elections.
The PML-N was leading in LA-25 by 1,364 votes, LA-29 by 379 votes, LA-30 by 247 votes, LA-31 by 2,934 votes, LA-32 by 892 votes, LA-35 (Jammu-II) by 18,788 votes and LA-36 (Jammu-III) by 10,002 votes.
Meanwhile, the PPP was ahead in LA-26 by 1,745 votes, LA-28 by 1,782 votes and LA-33 by 1,349 votes.
In constituencies where the PML-N was leading, the PPP was running second except in LA-35, where an independent candidate was in second place. Where the PPP was ahead, the PML-N was in second position, according to preliminary and unofficial results.
PML-N says man did not die from bullet, had heart failure
On its part, the PML-N disputed the PPP’s stance on a man’s death in Muzaffarabad, saying that he died due to heart failure and did not suffer any bullet injury.
Responding to the PPP’s stream of allegations in a media talk in Rawalpindi, PML-N Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said a man aged between 68 and 70 years was trying to resolve a “scuffle” when he suffered heart failure.
She noted that there was a physical altercation between groups of the PML-N and the PPP, describing the incident as “unfortunate”. She further said that Shah’s family has refused to have a post-mortem examination conducted.
“Will you do politics on bullets? Will you sabotage a democratic process by spreading such fake claims?” Aurangzeb said.
She further said, “My brothers, this politics of bullet, this politics of robbing votes, this does not suit parties like us.”
The PML-N leader went on to emphasise that the PPP leadership had given sacrifices and spent their “entire lives” in making efforts to strengthen democracy.
She remarked that ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto “did not give sacrifice to see this day”.
“You should remember that you are Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s grandson. We will keep reminding you because we will not let their sacrifices go to waste.”
She further said that the PPP was aware that the public did not vote for it. “Are elections won by crying, grabbing collars, issuing threats or making accusations? Elections are won with courage.”
The PML-N leader also took exception to Bilawal’s remarks of “snatching away seats” and “taking out seats”, saying: “Bilawal, you say good things. What kind of statements are you making now?”
Aurangzeb compared the PPP’s attitude to that of the PTI, saying the former’s “narrative” should not be the same.
“Find out so that you may not have to cry in Sindh,” the PML-N leader cautioned the PPP, noting people in Sindh were seeking performance similar to that of the Punjab government.
Aurangzeb recalled the Charter of Democracy signed between the PPP and the PML-N in 2007, stressing that its purpose was not to let democratic processes be sabotaged.
Noting that the PPP was in power in AJK and had its administrative machinery in the region, the PML-N leader questioned if Bilawal’s “own government is carrying out rigging against you”.
She remarked that if one considered the PPP’s allegations to be true, the party would have to “accept” that its own government “carried out rigging against Bilawal”.
Aurangzeb said the PPP-led administration was preventing the transportation of the required electoral equipment.
She also commented on Bokhari showing ballot papers stamped with votes for PML-N, saying, “This is an election of thousands of votes. He was showing two stamps on two ballot papers.”
The Punjab minister took aim at the PPP’s governance, saying that it had nothing to show for its performance. She quipped that voters were yet to head to polling stations early in the morning while the PPP had already started holding media talks on rigging.
Aurangzeb said that if the PPP still had reservations, there were relevant platforms such as the Election Commission and tribunals to approach, rather than hold press conferences.
“Contest the elections. Do not cry out loud,” she said.
