Police constable martyred , two suspected robbers …

ISLAMABAD: The second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections faced fresh controversy on Sunday after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) alleged delays, administrative shortcomings and electoral irregularities in several constituencies. Meanwhile, the AJK Election Commission postponed polling in one constituency due to severe weather conditions. Polling continued in 21 constituencies, including nine seats in Muzaffarabad Division and 12 refugee constituencies across Pakistan. More than 1.2 million registered voters were eligible to cast their ballots under strict security arrangements. PPP AJK Election Cell In-charge Sardar Abdul Shakoor claimed that polling was delayed in several constituencies because polling staff failed to reach polling stations before voting began. He said dozens of polling stations remained without election officials at the scheduled opening time, causing inconvenience to voters and delaying the electoral process. According to the PPP, similar problems were reported in multiple constituencies where polling staff arrived late, preventing voters from exercising their right to vote on time. The party urged the Election Commission and local administration to ensure immediate deployment of staff and restore normal polling. Separately, the AJK Election Commission announced that polling in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I had been postponed after heavy rainfall and landslides blocked key roads, making it impossible for polling teams and election material to reach several polling stations. Election authorities said efforts were made to reopen the affected routes, but worsening weather conditions prevented polling from taking place. The Commission said a new polling date would be announced later and apologised to voters for the inconvenience. The PPP questioned the decision to postpone polling across the entire constituency. Party leaders argued that if only certain polling stations were affected by landslides, polling should have continued in the remaining accessible areas. They called on the Election Commission to release a detailed report explaining the reasons behind the postponement. The party also alleged delays in additional constituencies, claiming that polling staff had not reached several stations even hours after voting officially began. It maintained that the delays affected voter participation and raised concerns over the smooth conduct of the election. PPP leaders further alleged that blocked roads prevented hundreds of voters from reaching polling stations. The party demanded the immediate reopening of affected routes and called for measures to ensure that voters could cast their ballots without obstruction. In another complaint, the PPP claimed that some of its polling agents were prevented from performing their duties at polling stations despite fulfilling legal requirements. The party urged election authorities to intervene and ensure equal treatment of all contesting candidates and their representatives. The PPP also accused rival political workers of violating election rules in certain constituencies and alleged that government employees were participating in election activities in violation of the code of conduct. The party demanded an immediate investigation and legal action wherever irregularities were confirmed. Separately, PPP leader Nadeem Afzal Chan criticised the conduct of the elections, describing reported delays in ballot paper distribution and administrative issues as unacceptable. He said the party wanted the electoral process to remain transparent and credible and warned that unresolved issues could undermine public confidence.

MUZAFFARABAD: PML-N candidate Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz has challenged the election result of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s LA-17 Haveli-Kahuta constituency, alleging irregularities in the compilation of results and seeking a recount of votes. The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission has accepted the petition for hearing and summoned the relevant parties in Muzaffarabad. Mohsin has alleged that the official result was changed through manipulation of election documents. He claimed that results received from polling stations showed him winning the constituency by a significant margin. According to his claim, the results compiled by presiding officers showed him leading by around 8,600 votes. He alleged that there was a substantial discrepancy between those results and the figures later submitted to the returning officer. The PML-N candidate said he had approached the returning officer and requested a recount but his request was rejected. He has also called on PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to support a recount. Mohsin said he would leave politics if a transparent recount showed that he had not won the constituency by a substantial margin. The disputed constituency was won by PPP candidate and AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, according to the officially issued result. Form-27 showed Rathore securing 33,872 votes, while Mohsin Aziz received 32,354 votes. Independent candidate Tariq Saeed stood third with 12,538 votes. Mohsin has disputed these figures and alleged that the result was altered after the polling process. He also alleged that armed individuals intimidated voters at some polling stations during election day. He claimed tensions increased after the rival camp realised that it could face defeat. The PML-N candidate has vowed to pursue the matter through the electoral process and said he would not accept what he described as an attempt to deprive him of his mandate. The election commission’s decision to hear the petition has formally brought the disputed result before the relevant electoral forum. The proceedings will determine whether a recount or any further action is warranted. Political tensions in the constituency have also continued following the election. Several vehicles parked along a roadside in Hoter village were reportedly vandalised. Local residents said the windows of the vehicles were smashed during an alleged attack. The vehicles were reportedly parked outside the residence of senior PPP leader Zahid Hashmi, who is also president of the International Kashmir Peace Forum Europe. According to local sources, individuals associated with the PML-N and an independent candidate were allegedly involved in the incident. The allegations have not been independently verified. Some of the affected vehicles reportedly belonged to people who had travelled from Saudi Arabia to participate in the election. The affected individuals alleged that, besides damaging their vehicles, the attackers took passports and cash from some of them.