Second phase of AJK polls conclude amid renewed rigging allegations by PPP

The second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections took place on Sunday, with polling held in eight out of the nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies. Polling began at 8am and continued till 5pm for the refugee seats, while the process concluded at 6pm in Muzaffarabad after an hour-long extension. The electoral process in LA-27 (Muzaffarabad-I) was postponed due to heavy rain, AJK Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal said, DawnNewsTV reported. Over 300 candidates were in the fray for the Muzaffarabad seats and the 12 seats for refugees settled in different regions.

What has happened so far:

Polling suspended in LA-27 due to rain; 4 other seats up for grabs in Muzaffarabad district, 2 each in Neelum and Jhelum Valley Voting underway across country for 12 refugee seats — 7 in Punjab, other 5 divided between different provinces Bilawal condemns ‘attack’ on party’s regional president, says PPP worker died in LA-31 PPP alleges electoral malpractices at some polling stations in at least 11 constituencies

Continuing his rigging allegations, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday accused the PML-N of “robbing” votes in the second phase of the AJK elections as well. In a post on X later in the day, he condemned an “attack” on party’s regional president Chaudhry Latif Akbar — also the candidate for LA-31 (Muzaffarabad-V). Accusing “miscreant elements of the PML-N” of being behind the incident, Bilawal said PPP worker Mushtaq Shah was killed in the same constituency. “The PML-N is robbing the votes of the people of Azad Kashmir through bullets, batons and coercion,” he alleged. The PPP chairman demanded that those responsible for the attack on Akbar and the “murderers” of the party worker be arrested immediately. In a separate statement, Bilawal said, “The PML-N has crossed all limits. Attacks are taking place on our voters and the president of the state (AJK).” He remarked that in Muzaffarabad, the PPP’s “politics of dignity and principles was in contest with the PML-N’s threat, rigging and coercion”.

The PPP shared a complaint written to the Election Commission regarding a “physical assault” on Akbar. The party said the LA-31 candidate was “engaged in the electoral process on polling day” when the alleged incident took place, accusing three individuals. It said a first information report (FIR) was being registered and urged the Election Commission to order an inquiry into the “security lapse” that resulted in the incident. AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, who belongs to the PPP, took notice of the incident and ordered the chief secretary and the police chief to take those responsible to justice. The AJK PM termed the attack “a slap on the politics of dignity and principle in Kashmir”. Akbar also wrote two letters to the Election Commission. In one, he alleged that an attempt on his life was made at Polling Station 177 “by PML-N workers” and wrote of the PPP worker’s death. He further claimed that his polling agents were not allowed to “sit in the polling area” at 14 polling stations. In the second letter, Akbar said PPP leader Syed Mumtaz Hussain Naqvi sustained bullet wounds in a “[murderous] attack” at a polling station in a building. Addressing a press conference, PPP leader Nayyer Hussain Bukhari claimed that eight party workers had been injured in the ongoing elections so far. and decried the “state of lawlessness” during the election process.

Polls in AJK are being held in three phases over security concerns, with the first set of polls held in Mirpur division on July 27, the second held today, and the third phase set for August 10 across Poonch division. Ahead of today’s elections, internet services were restored in parts of Muzaffarabad division after remaining suspended for 54 days on July 29. At the time, it was not clear whether the restoration covered the entire division or was limited to the state capital. Addressing the media on Sunday, the AJK CEC said that a letter had been written yesterday to request the restoration of internet services. He added that the outcome would be known today, without providing further details. “We will work according to the law; we will not come under pressure from anyone,” CEC Mughal said while responding to a question. PPP alleges electoral malpractices On Sunday, the PPP alleged electoral malpractices shortly after polling commenced, with several of the complaints claiming its polling agents at some stations were not allowed to observe the voting process. At 2pm, the party also wrote a separate letter to the Election Commission requesting follow-up on 25 complaints filed by it regarding 11 constituencies. The PPP said it had not received any formal written response or acknowledgement from the electoral watchdog on the status of any of the 25 complaints. “Given the gravity, number and geographical spread of the violations documented, the Party respectfully submits that a formal response from the Commission is now overdue and urgently required.”

On the other hand, the PML-N’s social media posts revolved around voters across Muzaffarabad and Punjab showing up to cast ballots with “enthusiasm”. Several posts highlighted that a large number of voters were flocking to its election camps with those of other parties PML-N’s election camps with election camps of the PPP.

The PML-N also wrote to the Election Commission in response to a PPP complaint about LA-40 (Valley-I), terming the latter’s allegations against its candidate Muhammad Naeem Khan as “baseless”. In the letter, seen by Dawn, the PML-N asserted that the allegations “regarding administrative failures are unsubstantiated and appear to be an attempt to create unnecessary controversy around the polling process”. The PML-N urged the electoral watchdog to ensure that “no misleading or politically motivated complaint is allowed to undermine public confidence in the integrity of the polling”. ‘Ballot stuffing’ At a polling station in LA-32 (Muzaffarabad-VI), the PPP accused PML-N supporters of “ballot stuffing”. It further said that a government employee had been deployed as a polling agent for the PML-N at a separate polling station. In LA-30 (Muzaffarabad-IV), the PPP claimed PML-N workers removed a ballot box at the Banaw Langah polling station and placed it outside, where they were allegedly “stamping ballot papers”. In Charakhpora Union Council of LA-31 (Muzaffarabad-V), the PPP said “bogus voting” was taking place at the Sharik Kamal Bandi-Khalsa polling station. The party said the alleged act “directly subverts the integrity of the poll”, adding that the polling station also did not have adequate security despite being declared “sensitive”. The PPP also alleged a PML-N MPA at a polling station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Abbottabad of obstructing the voting process for the refugee seat of LA-45 (Kashmir-VI).

In LA-25 (Neelum-I), the PPP said the voting process at a polling station had been halted after reports emerged of PML-N supporters tearing up ballot papers. The PPP also said its polling agents at a polling station in LA-25’s Khawaja Sari reported that “fraudulent votes are being cast” there. It urged the Election Commission to dispatch officials and law enforcement to halt the alleged action.

‘Polling agents excluded’ The party alleged that its polling agents were not allowed to sit at polling stations for refugee seat LA-34 (Jammu-I) in Cantonment and Lahore’s Sheranwala Gate, calling on the Election Commission to intervene.

The PPP wrote to the electoral watchdog about a similar complaint emerging from a polling station in Janabad, Sargodha, for LA-34. Sharing another letter addressed to the Election Commission about LA-34, the PPP said “elected members” of the PML-N were present inside a Pakpattan polling station and “stamping ballot papers”. It further claimed that its polling agent was “barred from entering the same polling station”. “The deliberate exclusion of the PPP’s oversight representative while PML-N’s own elected officials conduct fraud inside the station is not a coincidence — it is a coordinated strategy to commit electoral fraud without any independent witness,” it alleged. The party urged the electoral watchdog to dispatch law enforcement to the polling station and remove the PML-N supporters allegedly involved in “ballot stuffing”.

Regarding LA-42 (Valley-III), the PPP filed a complaint over party candidate Asim Sharif Butt’s polling agent being “physically prevented” from entering a polling station in Muzaffargarh’s Alipur Tehsil.

The PPP also claimed its polling agents at three polling stations in LA-30 (Muzaffarabad-IV) were denied from observing the electoral process. Similarly, the party said polling agents of candidate Ishfaq Zaffar were not permitted to take their seats at three polling stations in LA-32 (Muzaffarabad-VI). Terming it a “serious violation” of the electoral code of conduct, the PPP sought disciplinary action against the presiding officers who allegedly refused the agents from discharging their duties. At one of those polling stations, the PPP claimed a “violent confrontation” was underway between supporters of PML-N candidate Raja Farooq Haider and PPP supporters.

Other issues In a separate statement in the morning, the party claimed that no polling staff was present at any of the 196 polling stations in LA-27, adding that this raised the concern that there was a “deliberate” attempt to delay the polling. Similarly, the party alleged that polling staff had reached late at 71 polling stations of LA-28, due to which the voting process was facing delays. The PPP claimed that a similar situation was being witnessed at several polling stations of LA-30, where polling staff had not arrived on time. Regarding LA-31, the PPP said it had written to the Election Commission on behalf of its candidate Akbar, urging it to take action over difficulties faced by voters due to the closure of the Rangla-Katkair Road in Muzaffarabad. The party said over 50 vehicles carrying voters were stuck due to the road’s closure. PML-N slams ‘blame game’ Earlier in the day, PML-N leader and Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam called on political parties not to indulge in a “blame game”. “Nothing is to be gained from a blame game,” he said during a press conference in Islamabad, adding that law enforcement personnel were also deployed to ensure security. “They should not act in a manner that ‘why was I not given seats’,” Muqam said, stressing that it was the public whose votes allocate seats.

The minister urged all political parties to let the electoral process take place in a peaceful manner, stressing that making allegations without evidence cannot change the results. At the same time, Muqam also highlighted “arbitrary transfers and administrative decisions” in AJK, where the PPP is in power. He said the moves “seemed discriminatory”. He recalled that the PML-N had accepted the results of elections in Gilgit-Baltistan held in June, where the PPP emerged the winner and formed the government. Defending the results from Mirpur, Muqam asserted that the people voted for PML-N due to its performance. On the other hand, PPP leader Nadeem Afzal Chan also held a press conference where he called on the Election Commission to play its role in “proving” the election process in AJK to be free and fair. “Azad Kashmir is an international issue … people’s eyes are on it,” the former MNA said, adding that if the commission did not recognise the public and assure a free election, “tomorrow we will not be able to ratify this election under any circumstance”. He recalled that after the Mirpur polls, there was a detailed discussion within the party about boycotting the second and third phases. However, the party leadership refused the idea of a boycott. Chan cautioned that if the PPP was “compelled” to move towards such steps for the third phase, it would benefit those who wanted to prove the election “dirty”. “I see this becoming an ultra Form-47 election,” he said. He said that in negotiations in Muzaffarabad, the PPP had provided proof of rigging in four constituencies, as well as agreeing to hold re-polling in any other constituencies in which there were objections. He also called for a benchmark for voting, saying, “General polling was less than 30 per cent. But wherever you won, it was 80pc, 90pc, 75pc … this doesn’t even happen in urban cities like Islamabad and Lahore.”

‘Admission of rigging’ The PPP and the PML-N — coalition partners in the Centre — have been engaged in a war of words since the PML-N emerged in the lead during the first phase of polls. The PPP has accused the PML-N of rigging in Mirpur and demanded re-polling. Scuffles, violence and allegations of rigging had marred the polls in Mirpur, with the PML-N and PPP accusing each other of electoral malpractice. To defuse the tensions, senior leaders of both parties met multiple times in Azad Kashmir over the weekend to “explore a legal resolution” to the dispute. The latest round of talks followed two earlier meetings on Thursday and Friday. A PML-N source told Dawn that discussions focused on the PPP’s allegations and its demand for re-polling in certain constituencies. “It was not planned or pre-planned rigging but isolated acts at places where supporters of one candidate enjoyed numerical dominance over their opponents. Such incidents have unfortunately been part of the territory’s polling atmosphere and have also been witnessed in previous elections,” the source quoted the PML-N leaders as telling their counterparts. Referring to this statement in a X post on Sunday, Bilawal said: “Despite this admission from the rigging party, the [EC] has still failed to take action on our complaints from phase 1. Had they done so, the credibility of today’s phase 2 election would have been restored. “The PPP reserves the right to protest and demand re-election in phases where rigging took place, and the election commission failed to act. We have already sent multiple written complaints about ballot stuffing and illegal removal of our polling agents in today’s election. It is hoped the election commission acts swiftly and at least maintains fairness in round 2.”

According to the sources, during meetings with the PML-N, PPP initially raised objections to the results in four constituencies — Charhoi, Sehnsa and Nakyal in Kotli district, and Barnala in Bhimber district during phase-I of the election. However, it later withdrew its allegations regarding Sehnsa and Barnala. Saturday’s discussions centred on Charhoi, where PPP AJK President Chaudhry Yasin lost to PML-N’s Raja Riasat, and Nakyal, where PPP candidate Javed Iqbal Budhanvi was defeated by PML-N’s Raja Ayaz Ahmed. Meanwhile, the Sharif family also held discussions at Jati Umra. According to a statement issued by the PM’s Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held consultations with his elder brother and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif at Jati Umra to take stock of mounting political challenges, including the rift with the PPP over the AJK elections. A senior PML-N leader told Dawn that the party leadership had taken serious note of the PPP chairman’s increasingly combative rhetoric against the Sharif family over the AJK polls and his warning that the PPP could reconsider its support for the federal government if the remaining phases of the elections were manipulated in favour of the PML-N. Election numbers According to the AJK Election Commission, 207 candidates are in the fray for the nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division, comprising five seats in Muzaffarabad district and two each in Neelum and Jhelum Valley districts. Another 137 candidates are contesting the 12 refugee constituencies, including six seats representing refugees from the Kashmir Valley and six from Jammu. A total of 809,621 voters are registered in Muzaffarabad division, while the 12 refugee constituencies have a combined electorate of 438,834. According to the commission, 1,483 polling stations have been established across Muzaffarabad division, of which 533 have been declared highly sensitive, 741 sensitive and 209 normal. Another 1,057 polling stations have been set up for the 12 refugee constituencies. Out of 12 refugee seats, seven seats are in Punjab, one seat is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one seat (Jammu-VI) is divided between Pun­jab, Islamabad and KP, one seat is divided between Sindh and Balo­chistan (Valley-I), and one seat (Jammu-I) is shared among refugees living in Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh. Valley-V seat is divided between Punjab and Islamabad. In Rawalpindi and Islamabad, about 27,000 registered male and female voters will elect lawmakers for LA-43 (Valley-IV), LA-44 (Valley-V), and LA-39 (Jammu-VI) seats. A total of 175 polling stations have been established, out of which 18 polling stations in Rawalpindi have been declared sensitive. A total of 34 candidates are in the fray. In Gujrat, almost 2,000 policemen will perform security duties at scores of polling stations for the LA-38 elections. The total number of polling stations in these districts is 115, with 75 in Gujrat, 24 in Wazirabad and 16 in Mandi Bahauddin. The total number of voters is 50,225 in the entire constituency. As many as 11 candidates are contesting this seat.

In Sindh, officials said the elections will be conducted on LA-34 (Jammu-I) and LA-40 (Kashmir Valley-I) with polling stations established across Karachi and other districts of Sindh. In LA-34 (Jammu-I), a total of 17 candidates are contesting the election, which has 698 registered voters in Karachi’s seven districts and 477 voters in 13 other districts of Sindh. For LA-40 Kashmir (Valley-I), 11 candidates are in the race. The constituency has 4,200 registered voters in Karachi and 403 voters in 17 other districts of Sindh. In Balochistan, seven polling booths have been established across the province for the Kashmir Valley-I constituency, where 1,174 registered voters are expected to cast their ballots. Balochistan shares this seat with Sindh. For the Jammu-I constituency, six polling booths have been set up, with a total of 182 registered voters, including 85 men and 97 women, eligible to vote. Polling stations have been established for AJK refugee voters residing in Balochistan at various locations, including Quetta, Pishin, Qila Saifullah, Hub, Loralai, Sibi, Mastung, Zhob and Barkhan. In KP, 41 polling stations, mostly in Swat and Mansehra, have been set up for the LA-45 (Kashmir VI) seat.

Additional input from Ameer Hamza and Mohammad Asghar