One dies as violence, rigging allegations cloud first phase of AJK elections
Polling for the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections concluded at 6pm in 13 constituencies across Mirpur Division on Monday, with vote counting underway, after the electoral process was overshadowed by the shooting of a political worker and allegations of rigging. The results will begin to be issued from 7:30pm onwards.
The elections are being held in three phases under a revised schedule announced by AJK Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal on July 21.
The first phase covers all 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division, while polling in Muzaffarabad Division and the 12 refugee constituencies will be held on August 2, followed by Poonch (Rawalakot) Division on August 10.
Polling commenced at 8am with police, the Pakistan Army, Rangers and other law enforcement personnel deployed at polling stations to ensure a peaceful electoral process. More than 1.4 million registered voters are eligible to vote across Mirpur Division’s 13 constituencies, comprising four seats in Mirpur district, three in Bhimber and six in Kotli.
The Election Commission has established 2,454 polling stations and 3,701 polling booths, while around 22,000 election officials have been deployed to conduct the polling process.
Bilawal condemns killing of PPP worker
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemned the killing of party worker Mukhtar Younus, saying he had been informed that the worker was shot by supporters of PML-N candidate Sardar Umair Naeem.
“My worker has been martyred in Mirpur Nikyal. Where are the authorities? What is the Election Commission doing?” he said.
He said a video had surfaced two days earlier showing the candidate and his associates allegedly displaying weapons and firing into the air, adding that “if the authorities had taken notice then, today we would not have had to pay the price of a human life.”
He said Younus had been actively campaigning for PPP candidate Javed Budhanvi and alleged that the party’s opponents had resorted to such tactics because they feared defeat.
Bilawal arrived in Muzaffarabad ahead of the next phase of the elections. He was received on arrival by AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, PPP Secretary General Humayun Khan, PPP Parliamentarians Secretary General Syed Nayyar Bukhari, and other party leaders, according to a party statement.
PPP Parliamentarians Central Information Secretary Shazia Marri also condemned the killing, expressing condolences to Younus’ family and calling for the immediate arrest of those responsible. She said attempts to sabotage peaceful elections through violence were unacceptable and added that attacks on political workers and voters would not weaken the PPP’s resolve.
Separately, PPP AJK Election Cell In-charge Sardar Abdul Shakoor called for the immediate arrest of those responsible for the killing of a party worker in LA-9 Nikyal, alleging that the incident followed earlier displays of weapons and intimidation by supporters of a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate.
In a statement, Shakoor said PPP worker 35-year-old Mukhtar Younus, son of Kamran, was killed during incidents involving the alleged display of weapons and harassment of the public by supporters of PML-N candidate Sardar Umair Naeem. He urged authorities to immediately arrest everyone involved, restore law and order in the area and ensure the safety and security of voters.
He said a video had surfaced a few days earlier allegedly showing Sardar Umair Naeem and his associates displaying weapons and intimidating members of the public. “If the relevant institutions had taken timely action then, this tragic incident could have been prevented today,” he said.
Earlier in a post on X, Shakoor called on the Election Commission to take immediate notice after polling at Polling Station No108 in LA-13 Kotli-VI, where PPP candidate Waleed Inqalabi was contesting, remained suspended for two hours.
ایل اے-13 کوٹلی 6 میں دو گھنٹے سے پولنگ معطل، الیکشن کمیشن فوری نوٹس لے، سردار عبدالشکور، انچارج الیکشن سیل، پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی آزاد جموں و کشمیر
مظفرآباد: پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی آزاد جموں و کشمیر کے الیکشن سیل کے انچارج سردار عبدالشکور نے کہا ہے کہ حلقہ ایل اے-13 کوٹلی سکس میں… pic.twitter.com/kL3qoVf4NK
— Pakistan Peoples Party – PPP (@PPP_Org) July 27, 2026
He said the prolonged suspension of polling was depriving voters of their constitutional and democratic right to vote, describing the situation as contrary to the principles of a free, fair and transparent electoral process.
He urged the AJK Election Commission, the district administration and law enforcement agencies to immediately restore the polling process, determine the reasons for the disruption and ensure that voters are able to cast their ballots without further delay.
Two presiding officers arrested over code of conduct violations
The Election Commission took notice of reports concerning two presiding officers in Kotli, who allegedly went to a private residence instead of reporting to their assigned polling stations, and arrested them.
According to an Election Commission spokesperson, an FIR was registered against both officials, who were subsequently arrested and taken into custody. The Election Commission also suspended the two presiding officers from service.
The spokesperson said legal action is being taken against them under the relevant election laws, adding that strict action will be taken against anyone violating the election code of conduct and that negligence or irregularities in the electoral process will not be tolerated.
Earlier, PPP Secretary General Nadeem Afzal Chan accused the federal government of interfering in the ongoing AJK elections, calling for a free and transparent electoral process and urging the federal administration to refrain from influencing the vote.
In a video message shared on the PPP’s official X account, Chan referred to a statement by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah alleging electoral irregularities in a constituency in Kotli.
آج صبح رانا ثناء اللہ صاحب کی اسٹیٹمنٹ دیکھی، وہ کہہ رہے ہیں کوٹلی کے حلقہ میں الیکشن میں دھاندلی ہو رہی ہے۔ ندیم افضل چن۔
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی تو پہلے دن سے کہتی ہے کہ وفاقی وزراء منصوبوں کا اعلان کر رہے ہیں، پولنگ والے دن بھی سرکاری جگہوں پر بیٹھے ہیں، یہ الیکشن میں دھاندلی ہے۔… pic.twitter.com/Aatim7jS3g
— Pakistan Peoples Party – PPP (@PPP_Org) July 27, 2026
“I saw Rana Sanaullah’s statement this morning. He is saying that rigging is taking place in a Kotli constituency,” Chan said. He maintained that the PPP had, “from day one,” been raising concerns over what it described as the federal government’s involvement in the elections.
“Federal ministers have been announcing development projects and are sitting in government offices even on polling day. This amounts to interference in the elections,” he said.
Chan said the party’s foremost demand was that “the federal administration and the federal machinery must not interfere in the elections under any circumstances.”
He added that the PPP had repeatedly written to the AJK Chief Election Commissioner, urging the commission to ensure that the elections were conducted in a free and fair manner. “The announcements of development projects in Kashmir, the sending of buses and the use of state resources should be stopped immediately,” he said.
Read More: Over 17,000 security personnel deployed as AJK polling begins today
Responding to allegations regarding the recovery of polling bags in Kotli, Chan said the polling staff had been staying overnight at the home of a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporter.
“Rana Sahib is saying rigging is taking place in Kotli and that polling bags have been recovered. I want to point out that polling staff have to stay somewhere, and they were staying at the house of a PTI worker,” he said.
Chan urged political parties to compete through the electoral process rather than making allegations and said that the party had written to the Election Commission demanding transparent elections.
PPP accuses federal government of rigging
PPP, in a post on X, accused PML-N supporters, accompanied by armed men, of attempting to interfere with polling at several polling stations in the LA-8 Raj Mahal and LA-12 Charhoi constituencies.
پیپلز پارٹی آزاد جموں و کشمیر حلقہ راج محل اور چڑھوئی کے درج ذیل پولنگ اسٹیشنز پر سکیورٹی کو مؤثر بنا نے کا بھرپور مطالبہ کر رہے ہیں تاکہ پولنگ کے عمل کو بلا تعطل جاری رکھا جائے، ووٹروں اور پولنگ عملے کی حفاظت یقینی بنائی جائے اور انتخابی ضابطہ اخلاق کی خلاف ورزی یا انتخابی…
— Pakistan Peoples Party – PPP (@PPP_Org) July 27, 2026
The party claimed that the son of the PML-N candidate was attempting to influence voting at polling stations 90, 92, 93 and 94 in LA-8 Raj Mahal.
It also alleged that armed PML-N supporters were disrupting polling and pressuring officials to halt voting at polling stations 15 to 25 in Gulpur, Throchi and the Muhajir Camp in LA-12 Charhoi, where PPP candidate Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin is contesting.
چوہدری یاسین کے حلقہ ایل اے 12 چڑہوئی میں گل پور کے مقام پر ن لیگ کی غنڈہ گردی، ن لیگ پرامن پولنگ کے ماحول کو خراب کر رہی ہے، ن لیگ شکست کے خوف سے اوچھے ہتھکنڈوں پر آتر ائی ہے#میرپور_میں_تیر_چلےگا pic.twitter.com/nDFvH7y9it
— Pakistan Peoples Party – PPP (@PPP_Org) July 27, 2026
To combat rigging attempts, the party said it has established a Kashmir Election Monitoring Cell at its Central Secretariat in Islamabad to oversee the AJK elections. According to a statement issued by the party, the monitoring cell was set up on the instructions of the PPP’s central leadership to monitor the electoral process.
اسلام آباد: پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کی مرکزی قیادت کی ہدایات پر آزاد جموں و کشمیر قانون ساز اسمبلی کے انتخابات کی نگرانی کے لیے پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی سینٹرل سیکریٹریٹ اسلام آباد میں کشمیر الیکشن مانیٹرنگ سیل قائم کر دیا گیا ہے۔
مانیٹرنگ سیل میں موجود پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے سینئر رہنما… pic.twitter.com/uBhmACkm3w
— Pakistan Peoples Party – PPP (@PPP_Org) July 27, 2026
The party said senior PPP leaders stationed at the monitoring cell are maintaining continuous contact with the Election Commission, district administration, relevant institutions, as well as the party’s candidates and representatives to ensure effective oversight of the elections.
The PPP said it was taking all possible measures to help ensure that the electoral process remained free, fair, transparent, and impartial, while safeguarding the public’s right to vote in accordance with the election code of conduct.
The monitoring cell includes PPP Central Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman, Central Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan, senior party leader Shazia Marri, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon, Sindh Minister Saeed Ghani, and other senior party leaders.
In a separate post, the party alleged that workers of the PML-N interfered with the polling process in LA-8 Kotli-I, calling on the AJK Election Commission to take immediate action.
ایل اے-8 کوٹلی ون میں مسلم لیگ (ن) کی جانب سے پولنگ کے عمل میں مداخلت کی جا رہی ہے، الیکشن کمیشن فوری نوٹس لے، سردار عبدالشکور، انچارج الیکشن سیل، پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی آزاد جموں و کشمیر
مظفرآباد: پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی آزاد جموں و کشمیر کے الیکشن سیل کے انچارج سردار عبدالشکور نے کہا…
— Pakistan Peoples Party – PPP (@PPP_Org) July 27, 2026
PPP AJK Election Cell In-charge Sardar Abdul Shakoor alleged that PML-N workers attempted to disrupt polling at Polling Station 104, Radh Kattar, near the Line of Control (LoC), in Raj Mahal.
PPP also alleged attempts to influence polling in LA-12 Thurochi. Shakoor claimed that PML-N candidate Raja Riasat Khan had allegedly arrived at polling stations in Union Council Thurochi, the constituency of PPP candidate Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin, accompanied by armed individuals in an attempt to influence the voting process.
ایل اے-12 تھروچی میں پولنگ پر اثرانداز ہونے کی کوشش کی جا رہی ہے، الیکشن کمیشن فوری نوٹس لے، سردار عبدالشکور، انچارج الیکشن سیل، پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی آزاد جموں و کشمیر
مظفرآباد: پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی آزاد جموں و کشمیر کے الیکشن سیل کے انچارج سردار عبدالشکور نے کہا ہے کہ ایل اے-12،…
— Pakistan Peoples Party – PPP (@PPP_Org) July 27, 2026
Shakoor said the alleged incident had created fear among voters and claimed that slow mobile phone services were hampering communication for local residents, the media and emergency services.
Polling begins amid safety concerns
Authorities have declared 1,965 polling stations as sensitive or highly sensitive. To maintain law and order, more than 19,000 security personnel have been deployed across the division, including 17,000 police personnel, while 2,100 Army troops remain on standby as a backup force.
In Constituency LA-1 Dadyal, polling got underway in a peaceful atmosphere under enhanced security measures. According to the Election Commission, 105,174 registered voters—including 53,211 men and 51,963 women—are eligible to cast their ballots in the constituency.
The Election Commission established 139 polling stations and 234 polling booths in LA-1 Dadyal. Local authorities declared all 139 polling stations sensitive, with security personnel deployed throughout the constituency. A total of 288 candidates are contesting the 13 Legislative Assembly seats in Mirpur Division.Read More
