Polling for seven reserved seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly is underway. Voting began after 10am and will continue until 1pm.
The elections will determine representatives for five women’s seats and two other reserved categories. These include seats for Ulema and Mashaikh, as well as technocrats and professionals.
Under Article 22(1) of the AJK Constitution, the Legislative Assembly has 53 members. Of these, 45 members are elected directly through adult franchise.
The remaining eight seats are selected by members elected through direct voting.
Candidates Contest Reserved Seats
Six candidates are competing for five seats reserved for women. The candidates include PML-N’s Riffat Abid, Sehrish Qamar, Maryam Idrees and Maryam Zaman, also known as Maryam Kashmiri.
PPP candidates Farzana Yaqoob and Zobia Khurshid Raja are also contesting the women’s seats.
For the Ulema and Mashaikh seat, PPP’s Hafiz Tariq Mahmood is facing PML-N’s Mohammad Mazhar Saeed.
Meanwhile, PML-N’s Barrister Syed Iftikhar Gillani and PPP’s Sahibzada Zulfiqar Ali are contesting the technocrats and professionals seat.
The seat reserved for AJK state subjects living abroad has already been decided. PML-N’s Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Arain was the only candidate to submit nomination papers.
As a result, he was declared elected unopposed.
Seven Direct Seats Remain Vacant
Seven of the 45 directly elected Assembly seats remain without representatives. Five of these constituencies are located in Poonch district, while two are in Sudhnoti district.
Authorities could not hold elections in these constituencies because of law and order concerns.
Therefore, 38 elected members will participate in the reserved seat elections. They represent 84.4 per cent of the Assembly’s directly elected membership.
The direct elections were originally scheduled for July 27. However, security concerns led authorities to divide the voting process into multiple phases.
The first phase took place on July 27. The second followed on August 2, while the third phase was held on August 10.
The third phase initially included all 11 constituencies across Poonch Division. These included three constituencies in Bagh, one in Haveli, five in Poonch and two in Sudhnoti.
However, voting proceeded only in Bagh and Haveli because of continuing security concerns.
PML-N Leads Direct Election Results
The PML-N currently holds a strong position in the directly elected seats. The party has secured 25 of the 38 seats decided so far.
The PPP has won 12 seats, while an Awami Dast-o-Bazu Party candidate also secured a seat. That lawmaker has since joined the PML-N.
The election results have also increased political tensions between the PML-N and PPP.
The PPP has alleged widespread rigging during the elections. The party has repeatedly raised concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari recently said that a genuine alliance with the PML-N remained difficult. He linked any future cooperation to the resolution of the party’s concerns over the AJK elections.
Bilawal also said the PPP had raised its objections before the Election Commission, Parliament and other constitutional forums.
According to him, the PML-N had not adequately addressed those concerns or held meaningful discussions with the PPP.
PPP-PML-N Tensions Deepen
The disagreement between the two parties has also extended to national politics. The PPP recently disrupted parliamentary proceedings over the government’s legislative agenda.
On August 18, the party forced the government to effectively suspend a heavy National Assembly agenda. The schedule included 21 proposed bills.
The disagreement continued on August 20. The National Assembly passed two bills concerning the military and nuclear command structure.
The PPP objected to how the legislation was presented. However, the party eventually voted in favour of both bills.
Bilawal criticised the government for failing to properly consult its ruling allies before introducing the legislation.
New AJK Assembly to Take Oath
The incoming AJK Legislative Assembly is scheduled to hold its inaugural session at 2pm on Monday. The session will follow the announcement of the reserved seat election results.
Newly elected members will take their oaths during the session. Outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar will administer the oath.
Akbar failed to retain his Assembly seat during the recent direct elections.
The reserved seat results will complete most of the new Assembly’s composition. However, seven directly elected constituencies will remain vacant until voting can take place.
Meanwhile, the strong PML-N position and growing tensions with the PPP could shape the Assembly’s political direction. The unresolved election complaints may also continue influencing relations between the two parties.
