The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) continued its winning streak in the second phase of elections for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, according to unofficial results, with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) trailing in second place.
The second phase saw polling on 12 refugee seats and nine territorial seats. For the refugee seats, said the Election Commission, four seats were won by the PMLN, while one was secured by the PPP. Unofficial and unverified results from the remaining refugee constituencies had the PMLN winning on another six, while the PPP was leading on the remaining one.
For the seven territorial seats in question—the Election Commission had deferred voting on two seats, LA-27 (Muzaffarabad-I) and LA-28 (Muzaffarabad-II) due to inclement weather—the PMLN was leading in two, while the PPP was also leading on two.
Polling for all refugee constituencies, spread across Pakistan, ended at 5 p.m., while the Election Commission extended polling by one hour in AJK constituencies.
Polling results
The Election Commission declared PMLN candidates Muhammad Amir Shah (LA-41, Valley-II), Syed Shoukat Shah (LA-42, Valley-III), Mohammad Yasin Lone (LA-43, Valley-IV) and Ahmad Raza Qadri (LA-44, Valley-V) successful late on Sunday. Similarly, PPP’s Abdul Majid Khan won LA-45 (Valley-VI) and LA-40 (Valley-I), where the party had fielded Amir Abdul Ghaffar Lone.
THe PMLN also won all six Jammu refugee constituencies through Nasir Hussain Dar, Chaudhry Ismail, Sahibzada Ahsan Raza, Maryam Javed, Zeeshan Ali and Raja Muhammad Siddique. Unofficial results suggest PMLN regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir was ahead in LA-25 (Neelum-I), while the PPP’s Mian Abdul Waheed won in LA-26 (Neelum-II).
LA-29 (Muzaffarabad-III) saw PPP’s Sardar Mukhtar Abbasi defeating PMLN’s Barrister Iftikhar Gillani, while PMLN candidate Raja Saqib Majeed defeated PPP’s Chaudhry Latif Akbar in LA-31 (Khawra). Unofficial results also showed PMLN’s Mustafa Bashir Abbasi defeating PPP’s Mubashar Munir Awan in LA-30 (Muzaffarabad-IV), while PPP’s Deevan Ali Chughtai defeated PMLN’s Chaudhry Muhammad Rasheed in LA-33 (Leepa).
Results are still pending for LA-32 (Muzaffarabad-VI), where former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider is facing off against PPP’s Sahibzada Ashfaq Zaffar.
Rigging allegations
The polling was once again marred by the PPP and PMLN trading rigging allegations. In a statement, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari reiterated accusations of his party’s coalition partner “robbing” the mandate. “The PMLN is robbing the votes of the people of Azad Kashmir through bullets, batons and coercion,” he alleged, while also condemning an “attack” on the party’s regional president, Chaudhry Latif Akbar.
“The PMLN has crossed all limits. Attacks are taking place on our voters and the president of the state (AJK),” he alleged, with the party sharing multiple complaints it had sent to the Election Commission over various instances of alleged rigging.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf rejected the AJK election process. He alleged the mandate was “fake” and accused the PMLN of pushing the situation towards further instability.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, meanwhile, maintained the public had voted for the PMLN due to the work being done by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Punjab. “Those who always cry foul over rigging will keep screaming, while the masses will continue to ensure the PMLN’s success,” she said, crediting further the successful campaigns of PMLN candidates.
In a joint press conference with Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Monday claimed the latest wins had taken the PMLN’s seats to 23, enabling the party to secure a simple majority for the next government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Sanaullah also claimed the PPP had acted in concert with the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) to disrupt elections in AJK.