Key Takeaways
- Senior leaders of PML-N and PPP met to ease tensions over alleged rigging in AJK elections.
- The meetings focused on security arrangements for the second phase of polling on Sunday.
- Both parties agreed that the Election Commission should ensure no lapses in security.
Senior leaders from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) resumed talks aimed at defusing tensions following allegations of rigging during the first phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections.
The meetings, held on Saturday after two earlier sessions, were attended by key figures from both parties including Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam, and PML-N AJK chapter secretary general Chaudhry Tariq Farooq. For the PPP, former Senate chairman Nayyar Bokhari, former federal minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, and AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore participated.
The discussions centered on security arrangements for the second phase of polling scheduled for Sunday. Both sides agreed that the Election Commission, along with divisional and district administrations, should ensure extraordinary security measures to allow voters to exercise their franchise freely.
According to sources, the PML-N leadership maintained that neither the government nor any institution had facilitated or backed rigging. They claimed that irregularities, if they occurred, were isolated incidents rather than part of a pre-planned scheme. The PPP, on the other hand, accused the PML-N of rigging in four constituencies: Charhoi, Sehnsa, and Nakyal in Kotli district, and Barnala in Bhimber district.
The PPP later withdrew its allegations regarding Sehnsa and Barnala, focusing their complaints on Charhoi and Nakyal. In Charhoi, the PML-N candidate Raja Riasat defeated PPP AJK president Chaudhry Yasin, while Javed Iqbal Budhanvi lost to the PML-N in Nakyal.
The meetings also discussed ways to address the complaints through both political dialogue and legal channels. Both parties agreed that the Election Commission should play a crucial role in ensuring transparency and fairness during the second phase of polling.
Despite the ongoing tensions, both sides expressed a commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the disputes. The PML-N leadership maintained that they had begun election preparations well in advance and enforced greater organisational discipline through constituency-level planning. They claimed that the PPP remained under the impression that elections would be delayed by a year, which prevented it from focusing on electoral preparations.
The talks concluded with both parties agreeing to continue their dialogue to ease tensions and ensure smooth conduct of the second phase of polling.
