Second phase of AJK elections kicks off
The second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) general elections began on Sunday with polling underway in Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies located across Pakistan.
Polling started at 8am and will continue until 5pm without any break. Election officials opened polling stations early in the morning, while voters began arriving to cast their ballots. Security personnel were deployed across sensitive areas to ensure a peaceful voting process.
This phase of the elections covers nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division. These include five constituencies in Muzaffarabad district and two each in Neelum and Jhelum Valley districts. At the same time, polling is also being held for 12 refugee constituencies representing refugees from the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region.
More than 340 candidates are contesting the elections in this phase. According to election authorities, 207 candidates are in the race for the nine seats in Muzaffarabad division, while another 137 candidates are contesting the refugee constituencies.
More than 809,000 registered voters are eligible to vote in Muzaffarabad division. The refugee constituencies have over 438,000 registered voters. Thousands of election staff have been deployed to conduct polling and oversee the voting process.
Authorities have established 1,483 polling stations across Muzaffarabad division. Among them, 533 have been declared highly sensitive, 741 sensitive and 209 normal. In addition, 1,057 polling stations have been set up for refugee constituencies in different provinces.
The refugee constituencies are spread across Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan and Islamabad. Polling arrangements have been completed in all regions where registered refugee voters are residing.
In Rawalpindi and Islamabad, around 27,000 registered voters are casting their votes for three refugee seats. Election officials have established 175 polling stations, while enhanced security has been provided at sensitive locations.
In Gujrat, Wazirabad and Mandi Bahauddin, nearly 2,000 police personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order during polling. More than 50,000 registered voters are expected to elect their representative in the constituency.
Polling is also taking place in Karachi and several districts of Sindh for two refugee constituencies. Election officials have made arrangements to facilitate voters across the province.
In Balochistan, polling stations have been established in Quetta, Pishin, Qila Saifullah, Hub, Loralai, Sibi, Mastung, Zhob and Barkhan for refugee voters. Similar arrangements have been made in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in Swat and Mansehra, where polling is being held for another refugee seat.
The second phase of the elections is taking place amid heightened political tensions between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Relations between the coalition partners have remained strained since the first phase of polling, with both parties accusing each other of electoral irregularities in several constituencies.
Senior leaders from both sides held multiple meetings in recent days in an effort to resolve the dispute. However, the talks failed to produce an agreement before the second phase of voting. The PPP has demanded legal action and re-polling in selected constituencies, while the PML-N has rejected allegations of organized rigging and maintained that the election results reflect the will of the voters.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met PML-N President Nawaz Sharif to review the political situation and discuss developments related to the AJK elections. Senior party leaders also attended the meeting and discussed the coalition’s future strategy.
