MUZAFFARABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) clinched six of the eight reserved seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly on Monday, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won the remaining two seats reserved for women.
The election of reserved-seat members marks another key step towards completing the composition of the AJK Legislative Assembly following the recently held three-phase general elections.
Of the eight reserved seats, five were allocated to women, while one seat each was reserved for a technocrat, Ulema and Mashaikh, and overseas Kashmiris.
The PML-N secured three of the five women’s seats in addition to winning all three of the remaining reserved categories. Its successful women candidates were Seharish Qamar, Maryam Zaman and Maryam Idrees.
PPP candidates Farzana Yaqub and Zobia Khurshid won the other two women’s seats. Khurshid secured her seat after a draw, with both she and rival candidate Rifat Abid having received five votes each.
In the other categories, PML-N’s Pir Mazhar Saeed Shah was elected on the seat reserved for Ulema and Mashaikh, Barrister Iftikhar Gillani won the technocrat seat, while Abdul Rehman Arain was declared successful on the seat reserved for overseas Kashmiris.
With the latest results, the PML-N’s strength in the AJK Legislative Assembly has increased to 31 seats, while the PPP now holds 14 seats. The PML-N’s overall strength rises to 32 with the support of one member of the Jammu and Kashmir Awami Dast-o-Bazu (JK ADB).
Polling for the reserved seats began at 10am at the AJK Legislative Assembly building in Muzaffarabad, with the secretary of the AJK Election Commission performing duties as the presiding officer.
The newly elected members are expected to take the oath before the elections for the assembly’s speaker and deputy speaker are held, followed by their oath-taking.
However, the process of forming the government will proceed without seven members, as elections in seven constituencies of Poonch and Sudhnoti districts are yet to take place.
PML-N remains largest party
In the three-phase general elections, the PML-N emerged as the largest party after winning 25 seats, compared with 11 secured by the PPP.
During the first phase of polling across 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division, the PML-N won nine seats while the PPP secured four.
In the second phase, held on August 2 across eight constituencies in Muzaffarabad Division and all 12 refugee constituencies, the PML-N won 15 seats and the PPP secured six.
The third phase added one seat each to both parties, bringing their respective totals to 25 for the PML-N and 11 for the PPP.
The elections were accompanied by allegations of rigging from the PPP, which raised questions over the conduct of the polling process. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari criticised the federal government after the second phase and indicated that his party would step up its political opposition.
The PML-N rejected the allegations, while party president Nawaz Sharif called on political leaders to avoid allowing political competition to turn into personal hostility, voicing concern over the political climate in the region.
