3rd phase of AJK elections: PM Rathore trails PML-N rival in unofficial results
The sitting Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) prime minister, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, and both his predecessors lost to their rivals in three of the four constituencies in Poonch division that went to the polls on Monday, in an election marred by allegations of rigging and violence, as well as disruptions and suspension of polling at some places. The biggest upset was the defeat of Muslim Conference…
In the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore fell short of his PML-N rival in unofficial results from Poonch division. This marks Rathore's defeat in three out of the four constituencies that went to the polls on Monday, along with his two predecessors. The most significant upset was the loss of Muslim Conference president Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, who had been elected in all nine elections since 1985.
Khan was defeated by Sajid Iqbal Abbasi, who won the contest by over 20,000 votes in LA-14 (Dhirkot), a constituency previously held by Khan and his family. Abbasi's victory was attributed to his efforts for local development and welfare, which had built a personal support base over the years. Another tight race in LA-17 (Haveli) saw Rathore trailing PML-N candidate Engr Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz by more than 9,000 votes.
The election, affected by allegations of rigging, violence, and polling disruptions, continues amid tensions between protesters and authorities.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
