Zero nominations filed for AJK refugee seats

ISLAMABAD: Not a single candidate submitted nomination papers on the opening day of the filing process for three refugee constituencies of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly that cover Rawalpindi, Islamabad and the wider Rawalpindi Division, according to final electoral rolls issued for the seats.

Tuesday marked the first day for filing nomination papers for all 45 constituencies across AJK, including LA-43 Valley-IV, LA-44 Valley-V and Jammu-VI. However, no nomination forms were submitted for the three refugee seats and, no one even obtained the nomination papers for these constituencies.

The development came amid strikes, long marches, protests, shelling and an uncertain political situation in AJK. A similar pattern was witnessed elsewhere in the territory, where the offices of returning officers remained largely deserted on the first day, with no candidates, political workers or party leaders arriving to begin the process.

Constituencies and voter figures

LA-43 Valley-IV comprises Rawalpindi city in its entirety. LA-44 Valley-V covers the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Jammu-VI is the largest of the three seats and extends across Rawalpindi city, the whole Rawalpindi Division, Islamabad and up to Gilgit-Baltistan.

According to the final electoral rolls, LA-43 Valley-IV has 3,346 registered voters, including 1,750 men and 1,596 women. LA-44 Valley-V has 3,754 voters, made up of 1,945 men and 1,809 women. Jammu-VI has 20,807 registered voters, including 11,222 men and 9,585 women.

Possibility of schedule revision

In view of the prevailing political circumstances, there was a strong possibility that the election schedule could be revised. The first day of the nomination process nevertheless passed without activity in the three refugee constituencies, underscoring the impact of the current unrest on the electoral exercise.

The three seats are among the 45 constituencies for which the nomination process has opened, but the absence of candidates and political activity on the first day stood out in the refugee constituencies linked to Rawalpindi and Islamabad.