MIRPUR: Preliminary unofficial and unconfirmed results for the elections of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly on Thursday showed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerging victorious on at least 26 out of 41 directly contested seats, according to news reports.
The PML-N gave a convincing defeat to its nearest rival parties, including the PTI, and swept all seven seats in Mirpur Azad Kashmir. This has allowed the PML-N to form government in the region.
According to the preliminary unofficial results gathered from all four constituencies of Mirpur, PML-N candidate Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed defeated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate and Azad Kashmir President Barrister Sultan Mehmood.
Similarly, PML-N’s candidate Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed won the polls by defeating his nearest rival Chaudhry Arshad Hussain, a candidate of the PTI and the brother-in-law and first cousin of Barrister Sultan from Mirpur (Khari) constituency LA-4. Likewise, Chaudhry Masood Khalid Advocate of the PML-N also won the election from Mirpur (Dadayal) constituency LA-I.
PPP could reportedly win only seat in Mirpur district from constituency LA-2 (Chakswari) with the party’s candidate Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, the sitting Prime Minister of AJK, who reportedly won by defeating his nearest rival Muhammad Nazir Inaqlabi of the PML-N.
AJK Chief Election Commissioner Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal announced the result of LA-39 Kashmir Valley IV. PML-N candidate Asad Aleem Shah won with 1,026 votes on LA-39, while PPP candidate Azhar Gillani was runners-up with 893 votes.
In Mirpur division, the PML-N’s candidates Sardar Farooq Sikander, Raja Muhammad Iqbal, Raja Naseer and Raja Nisar won the election from their respective constituencies of Nikayal, Charhoi and Sehensa and Khoi Ratta.
Sardar Farooq succeeded from LA-9 Kotli-2 with more than 28,000 votes, while Javed Iqbal of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stood second with over 24,000 votes.
Raja Nisar Ahmad of the PML-N succeeded from LA-12 Kotli-5 with over 16,000 votes against Muhammad Matloob Inqilabi of PPP, who bagged more than 11,000 votes.
A total of 423 candidates from 26 political parties were contesting for 41 seats, while a total of 2.6 million Kashmiris exercised their right to elect the Legislative Assembly members. Polling began at 8am on Thursday and continued without any break until 5pm. However, voters present inside the polling stations were allowed to cast their votes even after that time. Unofficial results started pouring in from around the region, while counting was underway until the filing of this report.
Chief Election Commissioner in Azad Kashmir Ghulam Mustafa Mughal while talking to media representatives after visiting different polling stations claimed that it was not possible to rig elections this time.
Although elections were held in a smooth and transparent manner across the region, there were reports of mismanagement and skirmishes at several polling stations.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif congratulated the winning candidates in the elections. He said that peaceful and transparent elections were evident of democracy in the country. He hoped that the winning candidates would also struggle for the cause of Indian-held Kashmir. On the other hand, the PPP has rejected the election results and accused the PML-N of massive rigging. Sindh Adviser on Information Maula Bux Chandio claimed that state machinery was used in the election.
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