PML-N leads in first phase of AJK elections

MIRPUR:

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday took the lead in the first phase of elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), winning five of the first seven declared seats after polling concluded in 13 constituencies of Mirpur division as the vote was marred by scuffles and allegations of fraud.

The process of receiving unofficial and provisional results was ongoing until the filing of this report.

According to the full, unofficial results from seven of the 13 constituencies, the PML-N won five seats, while the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) got two seats.

As per details, PML-N candidates emerged victorious in LA-1 Mirpur, LA-4 Mirpur, LA-7 Bhimber-3 and LA-9 Kotli-2, while PPP candidates won LA-2 Mirpur and LA-3 Mirpur.

Voters cast their votes in the 13 constituencies of the three districts of Mirpur division: Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber. Polling began at 8:00 a.m. and continued until 6:00 p.m. Special security arrangements have been put in place to ensure public order is maintained throughout the voting process.

The elections are being held in three phases according to a revised schedule announced by AJK Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal on July 21.

The first phase covers all 13 constituencies of Mirpur division, while polling in Muzaffarabad division and 12 refugee constituencies will be held on August 2, followed by Poonch (Rawalakot) division on August 10.

Polling began at 8 a.m. with police, Pakistan Army, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies deployed at polling stations to ensure a peaceful voting process. Over 1.4 million registered voters are eligible to vote in the 13 constituencies of Mirpur division, comprising four seats in Mirpur district, three in Bhimber and six in Kotli district.

The Election Commission established 2,454 polling stations and 3,701 polling booths, while around 22,000 polling agents were deployed to conduct the voting process.

Authorities declared 1,965 polling stations sensitive or highly sensitive. To maintain law and order, more than 19,000 security personnel have been deployed across the division, including 17,000 policemen, while 2,100 army troops remain on standby as a backup force.

A total of 288 candidates ran in Monday’s elections. According to the Electoral Commission, votes were to take place in 2,316 polling stations, of which 1,241 were declared “highly sensitive” and 724 “sensitive”.

Election monitoring was organized in 13 zones and 205 sectors across the division, while 18,560 police and other law enforcement personnel were deployed under a three-tier security plan.

Under the agreement, the police provided the first level of security, the Pakistan Rangers (Punjab), the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) and the Federal Police the second, and the Pakistan Army the third. Around 2,100 military personnel were also expected to be deployed, while Rapid Response Force (QRF) teams were to remain on standby to respond to any emergencies.

While minor skirmishes and scuffles between PPP and PML-N workers in Kotli district were reported earlier in the day, the election process took a violent turn in the afternoon at LA-9 Kotli-II (Nakyal).

In a statement on

Mirpur Commissioner Raja Tahir Mumtaz confirmed that a man was killed and two others, including the deceased’s father, were injured in an incident.

On the other hand, the PML-N claimed that Younus was involved in its election campaign activities.

President of the PPP

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has condemned the killing of party member Mukhtar Younus, saying he was informed that the worker was shot dead by supporters of PML-N candidate Sardar Umair Naeem.

“My worker was martyred in Mirpur Nakyal. Where are the authorities? What is the Election Commission doing?” he said.

He said a video had been released two days earlier showing the candidate and his associates brandishing weapons and firing into the air, adding that “if the authorities had noticed it then, we would not have had to pay the price of a human life today.”

He said Younus had actively campaigned for PPP candidate Javed Budhanvi and alleged that the party’s opponents had resorted to such tactics because they feared defeat.

PPP parliamentarians’ central information secretary Shazia Marri also condemned the killing, expressing condolences to Younus’ family and calling for the immediate arrest of those responsible. She said attempts to sabotage peaceful elections through violence were unacceptable and added that attacks on political workers and voters would not weaken the resolve of the PPP.

FIR TREE

Before the vote, the PML-N alleged pre-poll fraud in Kotli’s LA-10 constituency. Rana Sanaullah, who is also advisor to the Prime Minister on political affairs, alleged that PPP AJK Chairman Chaudhry Yasin was involved in election fraud and the presiding officers involved in the act had been apprehended.

Sanaullah said the election results in the constituency would not be acceptable to his party until this “investigation” was completed.

Although there was no official statement from the AJK government explicitly referring to the incident, an Election Commission statement said that two presiding officers in Kotli were arrested after it was reported that instead of reaching the concerned polling stations, they had gone to “a residence”.

The Election Commission said “both presidents” had been arrested and suspended from office, and legal action was being taken against them under the law.

A statement from the Department of Press Information indicates that two new presiding officers were deployed in their place at the affected polling stations, after confiscating the electoral materials provided to the apprehended officials.

However, a first information report (FIR) filed into the incident named three presiding officers.

The FIR was registered at the Kotli municipal police station on Sunday evening in accordance with the provisions of the local election law and the penal code.