AJK election chief terms first phase peaceful as PML-N leads in early results

MUZAFFARABAD: The first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections concluded peacefully on July 27, with voters turning out in large numbers to cast their ballots, Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal said after the announcement of results from three key constituencies in Mirpur.

According to the Chief Election Commissioner, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won two of the three officially declared seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured one.

In LA-1 Mirpur-I, PML-N candidate Azhar Sadiq was declared elected after securing 15,427 votes, defeating PPP candidate Afser Shahid, who polled 9,832 votes.

In LA-4 Mirpur-IV, PML-N’s Chaudhry Rukhsar won with 22,376 votes, while PPP candidate Sohaib secured 15,851 votes.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the AJK Election Commission announced the result of LA-3 Mirpur-III, where PPP candidate Chaudhry Yasir Sultan emerged victorious with 12,590 votes, defeating PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed, who received 11,081 votes.

Justice (retd) Mughal said the first phase of the electoral process was completed in an overall peaceful atmosphere, adding that all political parties actively participated and voters exercised their democratic right enthusiastically.

Read More: Bilawal alleges rigging in AJK polls, claims PPP has secured majority

He also commended election officials, relevant institutions and security personnel for ensuring the successful conduct of polling.

The Chief Election Commissioner said individuals accused of disrupting polling in Samahni had been arrested, adding that law enforcement agencies played an exemplary role in maintaining peace and order throughout the election process.

According to unofficial results available at the time, the PML-N had secured seven seats, while the PPP had won three.

The vote counting process continued after polling concluded at 6pm following a one-hour extension granted by the Chief Election Commissioner in response to requests from voters and political parties. Polling had originally been scheduled to end at 5pm.

Election officials said the process of compiling and transmitting results would continue in phases, with the Election Commission announcing final official results in accordance with the prescribed legal procedure.

The first phase covered all 13 constituencies of Mirpur Division, where 1,400,437 voters were registered, including 724,811 men and 675,626 women.

A total of 2,316 polling stations were established for the elections, of which 1,241 were declared highly sensitive and 724 sensitive.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also described the first phase of the elections as transparent and expressed confidence that the PML-N would secure a majority of seats.

According to constituency-wise unofficial results, PPP candidate Qasim Majeed won LA-2 Mirpur-II with 31,378 votes, while PML-N’s Azeem Bakhsh Chaudhry received 8,499 votes and independent candidate Chaudhry Zafar Anwar secured 4,669 votes.

In LA-5 Bhimber-I, unofficial results showed PML-N’s Waqar Ahmed Noor leading with 19,592 votes against PPP’s Chaudhry Pervez Ashraf, who received 16,335 votes.

Preliminary results from LA-6 Bhimber-II placed PML-N candidate Chaudhry Muhammad Razzaq ahead with 3,814 votes, followed by Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate Ali Shan Chaudhry with 3,351 votes.

In LA-7 Bhimber-III, complete unofficial results showed PML-N’s Chaudhry Tariq Farooq winning with 35,490 votes, defeating independent candidate Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, who secured 25,100 votes.

PPP candidate Zafar Iqbal Malik won LA-8 Kotli-I with 19,535 votes, while PML-N’s Malik Muhammad Nawaz Khan received 11,966 votes.

Complete unofficial results from LA-9 Nakyal showed PML-N’s Umair Naeem winning with 31,080 votes against PPP’s Javed Iqbal Budhanvi, who polled 28,509 votes.

Preliminary results from LA-10 Kotli-III placed PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin ahead with 6,999 votes, while PML-N’s Fateh Mahmood Hassan secured 3,560 votes.

In LA-11 Kotli-IV, PML-N’s Muhammad Asif won with 26,190 votes, defeating PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Akhlaq, who received 21,751 votes.

PML-N candidate Muhammad Riasat Khan secured victory in LA-12 Kotli-V with 35,168 votes, while PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin obtained 30,320 votes.

In LA-13 Kotli-VI, PML-N’s Raja Ayaz Ahmed Khan won with 21,856 votes, while IPP candidate Nisar Ansar Abdali finished second with 15,859 votes.

During polling in Nakyal, one person was killed and two others were injured in a firing incident. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari later reacted strongly to the incident, calling for accountability.