Four vacant seats of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council have been filled without a contest after only four candidates submitted nomination papers.
The Azad Kashmir Election Commission has officially declared Chaudhry Latif Akbar, Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas, Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed and Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed elected.
The four candidates were the only nominees for the available seats. Therefore, no polling was required after their nomination papers were found in order.
Four Candidates Declared Elected
The Election Commission issued an official notification confirming the four candidates as new members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council.
Three of the successful candidates belong to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). They are Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed and Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas.
Former Azad Kashmir Assembly speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar contested the fourth seat on the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ticket.
According to the notification, all four candidates were declared elected based on the results received from the Returning Officer.
Why Was Polling No Longer Required?
The election schedule initially set October 12, 2026, as the polling date for the four vacant seats.
However, exactly four candidates submitted nomination papers for the four available positions. Since no additional candidates entered the contest, the election process concluded without polling.
The nomination papers were submitted on October 1. Following scrutiny, all four candidates were declared eligible, allowing the Election Commission to formally notify their election.
Earlier, the scheduled process had included polling at the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Hall. However, the lack of any contest meant that voters did not need to cast ballots for these four seats.
PML-N Gets Three Seats, PPP One
The final distribution gives three of the four vacant Council seats to PML-N candidates. The remaining seat goes to the PPP.
The PML-N nominees are Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed and Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas. Meanwhile, Chaudhry Latif Akbar represents the PPP among the newly elected members.
With the Election Commission’s notification, all four vacant seats have now been filled. Consequently, the October 12 polling schedule is no longer required for these positions.
The completion of the process brings the election for the four AJK Council seats to a close without a contested vote.
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