MUZAFFARABAD:
Government employees carrying out electoral duties for the 2026 general elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will vote on Monday (tomorrow) as per arrangements made by the AJK Election Commission (EC), enabling them to exercise their right to vote before polling day.
According to Khawaja Ahsan, senior member of AJK EC, polling for election staff will be held at designated polling stations established at respective district headquarters to facilitate deployment of officials on election duty.
The AJK EC has directed all District Returning Officers (DROs), Returning Officers (ROs), district administrations and other concerned departments to make all necessary arrangements to ensure that polling for polling personnel is conducted in a transparent, orderly and timely manner.
In accordance with the commission’s instructions, Ahsan said all officials responsible for election duties were ordered to report to their designated polling stations on the scheduled date and time to vote and strictly adhere to the procedures and code of conduct issued by the election commission.
President of the PPP
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is expected to address a public election rally in Kotli on Sunday (today) as the party intensifies its campaign for the July 27 Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, following an encouraging response to its campaign launch in Dadyal.
The Kotli rally will be the second public rally of Bilawal’s election campaign after he launched the party’s campaign with a rally in Dadyal on July 17.
The PPP says its campaign has since gained significant momentum in AJK and the party has further strengthened its position ahead of the elections.
PPP AJK Media Advisor SyedAzadar Hussain Shah said the Kotli rally would demonstrate the party’s public support, expressing confidence that Kashmiris would support the PPP’s narrative of “right to self-government, right to property and right to employment” by voting for the party’s candidates.
“This election is not only about forming a government but also about safeguarding the rights of the people of Kashmir and determining the future path of development, empowerment and prosperity,” he said.
Shah maintained that the high turnout and enthusiastic participation of party members in the Dadyal rally had given a boost to the election campaign.
New program for LA-24
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission (AJKEC) has released a new election schedule for LA-24 Poonch-Sudhnoti-7 (Baloch) following the death of independent candidate Zahid Yasin.
According to an AJKEC spokesperson, the returning officer terminated election procedures in the constituency under Section 45 of the AJK Election Act, 2020, after receiving a report regarding the death of the candidate. In accordance with the law, a new electoral calendar has been announced.
According to the revised schedule, candidates can submit their nomination papers to the returning officer at the district headquarters, Pallandri, till July 21. The examination of nomination papers will take place on July 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., after which the provisional list of validly nominated candidates will be published.
Appeals against the returning officer’s decisions can be filed with AJKEC from July 23 to July 26 until 2:00 p.m. The commission will hear the appeals on July 28 and announce its decisions the same day.
