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Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders on Sunday expressed confidence that the party would emerge victorious in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections and form the next regional government. At the same time, they rejected allegations of election rigging and violence raised by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), insisting that the polling process remained peaceful and transparent. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif made the remarks while visiting party election camps in Union Council Fatehgarh, Sialkot. He said polling across AJK and the refugee constituencies was conducted in a calm and orderly manner. According to him, voters actively participated in the electoral process and the turnout remained encouraging throughout the day. He said reports received from various election camps reflected a positive trend in favour of the PML-N. He added that voter participation was expected to increase further as polling continued. Khawaja Asif expressed confidence that the party would secure enough seats to form the next AJK government. The defence minister said a PML-N government in AJK would focus on development, public welfare and political stability. He added that the party wanted to continue serving the people under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif. Speaking about the Kashmir issue, Khawaja Asif reiterated Pakistan’s longstanding position. He said Kashmir remained an integral part of Pakistan’s national policy. He also criticised what he called propaganda aimed at strengthening India’s narrative on the dispute. According to him, there could be no compromise on Pakistan’s stance regarding Kashmir. He also highlighted the political importance of Sialkot, saying the district has a large population of refugees from Jammu. He noted that nearly 100,000 voters were registered in the LA-36 Jammu-III constituency, making it one of the important refugee seats in the elections. Khawaja Asif urged all political parties to respect the decision of the voters. He said every party should accept the election results in the spirit of democracy, regardless of victory or defeat. Later, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah also addressed a press conference in Islamabad alongside Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam. Rana Sanaullah strongly rejected PPP allegations of widespread rigging and violence. He said the elections were held peacefully and voters exercised their democratic right without major disruptions. He explained that polling hours were extended by one hour at some polling stations because of difficult weather conditions. He added that voters who had already entered polling stations before the closing time were allowed to cast their ballots in accordance with election rules. According to Rana Sanaullah, nearly 95 to 96 per cent of the polling process had been completed smoothly by the end of the day. He said ballot counting had already started in most constituencies. The adviser criticised allegations of election manipulation. He said one political party began accusing the authorities of rigging early in the morning without presenting any evidence. He maintained that such claims were politically motivated and intended to create unnecessary controversy. Commenting on incidents of violence, Rana Sanaullah said only three isolated cases were reported during polling. He insisted these incidents did not affect the overall election process. He also responded to reports involving AJK Acting President and Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar. According to Rana Sanaullah, the incident resulted from a personal dispute linked to an old court case. He denied reports of any serious physical assault and said the matter had been exaggerated for political purposes. The adviser also addressed the death of an elderly man, Mushtaq, during polling. He said the deceased was a heart patient and suffered a cardiac arrest after an argument between rival political supporters. He rejected claims that the man had been killed in election-related violence, saying no post-mortem report had confirmed such allegations. Meanwhile, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said PML-N supporters participated enthusiastically in the elections. He said voters showed confidence in the party’s leadership by casting their ballots in favour of the lion, the party’s election symbol. In a statement shared on social media, Tarar described allegations of rigging as baseless and unsupported by evidence. He said the public had once again expressed trust in the PML-N’s agenda of development, public service and economic progress.

The exhumation of Mir Ali Raza’s body has been postponed for Friday, his father’s lawyer Jibran Nasir said. Nasir spoke to the media and raised serious concerns over the medical board formed for the case. He said a third notification regarding the medical board had been issued. According to Nasir, the first and second medical boards were merged to form a new third board. However, he said the family does not accept the latest notification. He said Mir Raza’s parents had already recorded their statements before the investigating officer. Nasir said the family would not allow the exhumation to take place under the supervision of what he called a disputed medical board. He described the exhumation as a sensitive legal process. He said the court had directed the police surgeon and police to take necessary action. A medical team was formed after the court’s directions. However, Nasir alleged that the medical board was changed overnight. He said the sudden change had raised serious questions for the family. He questioned why doctors from Karachi were not included in the new board. He also questioned the removal of doctors who had been part of the earlier medical board. Nasir asked why a new board was formed without first withdrawing the previous notification. He also questioned why the new notification was issued during the night. He questioned the role of the Director General Health in Hyderabad. He asked under which law the official became the supervising officer of the medical board. Nasir also questioned how the orders of the Karachi police surgeon were superseded. He asked which order of the health secretary was referred to in the letter issued from Hyderabad. He said the family would not accept any alternative arrangement. They would only recognize the previously constituted eight-member medical board. Nasir also raised questions about the investigation into Mir Raza’s death. He said the investigating officer could not recover a bullet casing for eight days. According to him, the casing was recovered only after the family approached the court. He questioned how important the casing could be without the recovery of the pistol allegedly used in the incident. Nasir also alleged that the investigating officer had not properly inspected Mir Raza’s room. He said the family had lost a young member and wanted the case to be investigated with complete seriousness. He stressed that an exhumation was not an ordinary procedure. Meanwhile, preparations for the exhumation had been completed at the PECHS cemetery in Karachi. A police team had also reached the cemetery.