Key Takeaways
- Polling in eight Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies concluded on Sunday.
- PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari accused PML-N of widespread rigging during the election process.
- Election Commission ordered an inquiry into security lapse following attack on PPP candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar.
The second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections concluded on Sunday, with polling held in eight out of nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies. The electoral process was extended by an hour for some refugee seats to ensure completion.
Polling began at 8am and continued until 5pm for the refugee seats, while it concluded at 6pm in Muzaffarabad after a one-hour extension due to heavy rain. In LA-27 (Muzaffarabad-I), polling was postponed to August 4 due to a landslide.
Over 300 candidates contested the Muzaffarabad seats and refugee constituencies, with the electoral process proceeding despite logistical challenges such as weather-related delays.
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari accused the PML-N of 'robbing' votes during the second phase of the AJK elections. He condemned an attack on the party’s regional president, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, and alleged that PPP worker Mushtaq Shah was killed in the same constituency.
Bilawal demanded immediate arrest of those responsible for the attack and the 'murderers' of the party worker, stating that the PML-N is using bullets, batons, and coercion to undermine the electoral process. He also accused miscreant elements of the PML-N of being behind the incident.
A complaint was shared with the Election Commission regarding a physical assault on Akbar, who was engaged in the electoral process when the alleged incident took place. The PPP also wrote two letters to the Election Commission alleging attempts on their lives and restrictions on polling agents at 14 polling stations.
AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore ordered the chief secretary and police chief to take those responsible for the attack to justice, terming it a 'slap on the politics of dignity and principle in Kashmir'.
Initial unofficial results showed PML-N candidates leading in several constituencies. Vote counting began shortly after polling stations closed.
Despite these allegations, PML-N supporters began celebrations even before official results were announced by the Election Commission.
The PML-N is robbing the votes of the people of Azad Kashmir through bullets, batons and coercion.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, PPP Chairperson
Had they done so, the credibility of today's phase-2 election would have been restored.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, PPP Chairperson
