PML-N edges ahead in Mirpur phase of AJK polls amid violence claims

MIRPUR: The PML-N appeared to hold the upper hand after the first phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections in Mirpur division, leading in seven of the 13 constituencies on the basis of unofficial and unverified results, as polling day was overshadowed by violence, scuffles and opposition allegations of rigging.

The PPP was ahead in five seats, while one contest in Kotli remained too close to call overnight. Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal announced the only official result late at night, saying PML-N candidate Azhar Sadiq had won LA-1 (Mirpur-I) with 15,427 votes against 9,832 for Muhammad Afzal Shahid.

Seat picture across three districts

According to the available results, the PML-N was poised to sweep all three seats in Bhimber, was leading in two of Mirpur district's four constituencies and in three of Kotli's six seats.

In Mirpur district, Chaudhry Rukhsar was leading in Kharri Sharif, while PPP candidate Yasir Sultan was ahead in Mirpur city. PPP finance minister Qasim Majeed retained the Chakswari seat.

In Bhimber, PML-N's Chaudhry Tariq Farooq opened a comfortable lead over former AJK prime minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, while Waqar Ahmed Noor and Chaudhry Razzaq were also ahead in their constituencies.

Kotli produced a split verdict. PPP's Zafar Iqbal Malik was ahead in LA-8 (Kotli-I), and party president Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin was comfortably leading in both LA-10 (Kotli-III) and LA-12 (Kotli-V). In LA-11 (Kotli-IV), PPP's Chaudhry Akhlaq and PML-N's Raja Asif were locked in a close contest with no clear winner by late night. PML-N candidates Sardar Umair Naeem and Raja Ijaz Ahmed were ahead in LA-9 (Kotli-II) and LA-13 (Kotli-VI) respectively.

Violence and election-day disruptions

Polling began at 8am and continued until 6pm after voting hours were extended by one hour across Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli. A total of 288 candidates were in the field for 13 seats. The Election Commission had set up 2,316 polling stations, including 1,241 categorised as highly sensitive and 724 as sensitive.

The most serious incident was reported from LA-9 Kotli-II in Nakyal, where violence left one man dead and two people injured. The PPP identified the deceased as its worker Mukhtar Younus and said he was killed during incidents involving display of arms and public harassment by supporters of a rival candidate. Mirpur Commissioner Raja Tahir Mumtaz confirmed that one man was killed and two others, including the victim's father, were injured.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari condemned the killing and alleged that Younus had died in firing by Naeem. He said, "My worker has been martyred in Mirpur's Nakyal. Where are the relevant authorities? What is the Election Commission doing?"

Elsewhere, the Mirpur commissioner said supporters of Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party candidate Ali Shan Soni allegedly snatched ballot boxes from a polling station in LA-6 (Samahni). Videos circulating on social media appeared to show armed men firing during the disturbance.

Chief Election Commissioner Mughal described the exercise as "the most difficult" in AJK's history for reasons that "everyone is aware of". He said a presiding officer and an attached patwari, who were reported to have entered a private residence in Kotli with election material, had been arrested and replaced, and the material had been recovered. He also referred to disrupted polling in a Raj Mahal constituency and the fatal incident in Nakyal, but maintained that the overall polling process had been completed smoothly.

Parties trade accusations over credibility

Addressing party workers in Muzaffarabad, Bilawal urged that the elections remain transparent and credible, saying only an assembly elected through a genuine mandate could tackle the region's problems. He said, "We all want to bring stability back to AJK; the first step towards bringing stability is to ensure free and fair elections," and added that the process had already become "a bit controversial", including over the unresolved issue of refugee constituencies.

At a press conference in Islamabad, PPP Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan accused PML-N candidates of ballot stuffing and rigging in Kotli. He also alleged that the ruling party had tried to influence voters by announcing 10 electric buses for AJK ahead of the election. Sindh minister Saeed Ghani further alleged that PML-N workers had opened fire during the campaign and injured several PPP supporters, while criticising the Election Commission's oversight.

The Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan also questioned the conduct of the polls, saying the process had failed to inspire public confidence and citing low participation in several areas. The alliance said it would launch a nationwide movement from Aug 5 focused on the constitutional rights of former prime minister Imran Khan and the constitutional and democratic rights of the people of AJK.

The PTI, which boycotted the elections, said the conditions did not allow free, fair and transparent polling. It maintained that turnout had been minimal and argued that a contest lacking transparency and meaningful political competition could not reflect the public mandate.

In Mirpur city, polling remained slow during the morning. Election staff attributed the pace to hot, humid weather and the tendency of urban voters to reach polling stations later in the day, while turnout was said to be stronger in rural and peripheral areas.