Polls underway for 7 reserved AJK assembly seats

Muzaffarabad: The Pakistan Muslim League (N) emerged victorious, securing five out of the seven reserved seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly polls held on Monday. This outcome follows the provisions of Article 22(1) of the AJK Constitution, which allocates the Assembly's 53 seats, comprising 45 directly elected members and eight chosen by directly elected representatives.

The reserved positions consist of five for women, one each for Ulema-i-Din, Mashaikh well-versed in Islamic teachings, Jammu and Kashmir State subjects residing abroad, and technocrats or professionals. Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Arain, the sole candidate for the seat reserved for state subjects residing abroad, was declared elected unopposed.

Five women candidates – PML-N's Sehrish Qamar, Maryam Idrees and Maryam Zaman, also known as Maryam Kashmiri, and PPP's Farzana Yaqoob – each secured one reserved seat after garnering seven votes each. The seat for Ulema and Mashaikh was won by PML-N's Mohammad Mazhar Saeed, who garnered 26 votes, nearly double Hafiz Tariq Mahmood's 12 votes from the PPP.

Similarly, PML-N's Barrister Syed Iftikhar Gillani claimed the seat reserved for technocrats and professionals, defeating PPP's Sahibzada Zulfiqar Ali by 14 votes. The elections, originally scheduled for July 27, were conducted in phases due to security concerns amidst unrest. The third phase, scheduled to cover Poonch Division, was conducted only in Bagh and Haveli due to law and order issues.

So far, the PML-N has secured 25 seats in direct elections, while the PPP has won 12. The PPP has accused the ruling PML-N of rigging in the polls and has criticized the government for not addressing their concerns regarding the elections and not fulfilling their commitments.