Independent AJK lawmaker Sajid Iqbal joins PML-N after election upset
Independent Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) lawmaker Sardar Sajid Iqbal, who defeated former AJK prime minister and Muslim Conference leader Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan in a major upset in the August 10 election, has joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), party leader and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Monday.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Sanaullah said Iqbal had accepted the PML-N leadership’s request to join the party and support its efforts in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
“We requested Sajid Iqbal that, for the development of his constituency and AJK, he become part of our team and work shoulder to shoulder with us,” Sanaullah said. “I am deeply grateful to him that, for the good of AJK, he accepted our request and decided that he would become a part of us,” he added.
He congratulated Iqbal and the people of LA-14, saying the lawmaker would now work alongside PML-N candidate Faisal Azad, who had also accepted the election result. “Both, becoming brothers, their teams together will work together for that constituency,” he said.
Iqbal’s decision came days after his decisive victory in the LA-14 (Western Bagh/DhirKot) constituency, where he emerged as an independent candidate backed by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
According to unofficial results from 213 of the constituency’s 214 polling stations, Iqbal secured 40,702 votes, defeating Atiq Ahmed Khan, who received 19,542 votes, by more than 21,000 votes. PML-N’s Faisal Azad secured 3,000 votes, while PPP’s Mubashar Ejaz received 2,800.
The result was seen as a major upset, ending the decades-long political dominance of the Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan family in the constituency. The family had held significant political influence in parts of AJK for more than seven decades.
Referring to ongoing protests in AJK, Sanaullah said the government viewed those taking part in demonstrations, as well as those responsible for creating law-and-order problems, as “brothers”.
“We consider those who are sitting in protest there, or those who have created a law-and-order situation, to be our brothers as well,” he said.
Sanaullah added that while some individuals might have different intentions or links with other forces, “99 per cent” of the protesters were people who wanted development in Kashmir and loved Pakistan.
PML-N eyes two-thirds majority
Sanaullah said the PML-N would have 33 seats following the elections and needed to win three of the seven remaining seats to reach 36, which he described as a two-thirds majority.
“Thirty-six is the two-thirds majority. After these elections, the PML-N will have 33 seats, and if we secure three of the seven seats where elections are going to be held, God willing, the PML-N will have a two-thirds majority,” he said.
Polling for the reserved seats will be held on August 24 and are not filled through direct public voting but are elected by newly elected members of the Legislative Assembly. Of the eight reserved seats, five are allocated to women, one to Ulema and Mashaikh, one to overseas residents of AJK, and one to technocrats and other professionals.
Sanaullah said seven general seats remained to be contested, although one had fallen vacant following the death of the winning candidate. He expressed hope that the PML-N would secure three additional seats.
The remaining constituencies, covering Rawalakot, Poonch and Sudhnoti, are expected to go to the polls later, potentially by August 20, subject to the prevailing political situation.
Read: AJK polls: Sajid Iqbal wins LA-14 as PML-N, PPP lead in key constituencies
Development mandate
Sanaullah described the PML-N’s expected mandate as “the need of the hour” given the situation in AJK, saying the region needed greater attention to its development needs.
“This was the mandate for which the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, appealed to the people of Kashmir,” he said, referring to Nawaz Sharif’s addresses in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur.
“The situation in AJK needs to be controlled, and development is needed there,” Sanaullah said, adding that voters had given the PML-N a mandate following Nawaz Sharif’s appeal for development in the region.
He said the party wanted to replicate in AJK the development initiatives undertaken by the PML-N government in Punjab. “The people of AJK have sent forward a very good team. God willing, we will fulfil the promises that the PML-N has made,” he said.
The electoral process for the 2026 general elections in AJK concluded on August 15 with the completion of polling and announcement of results in the final two constituencies in Bagh, where the PPP and PML-N secured one seat each.
With the Bagh results, the PML-N has emerged as the largest parliamentary force in the AJK Legislative Assembly with 25 seats, while the PPP stands as the second-largest party with 12 seats.
The final phase of polling was completed through re-polling at 23 polling stations in LA-15 Bagh-II and LA-16 Bagh-III, bringing the election process across AJK to a close.
In LA-15 Central Bagh, PPP candidate Sardar Zia-ul-Qamar defeated PML-N’s Mushtaq Minhas, securing 17,118 votes against his rival’s 15,227. Zia-ul-Qamar won the seat by a margin of 1,891 votes after re-polling was held at nine polling stations.
In LA-16 Eastern Bagh, PML-N candidate Sardar Mir Akbar Khan won with 20,796 votes, defeating PPP’s Sardar Qamar-uz-Zaman, who received 16,963 votes. Mir Akbar Khan secured the seat by a margin of 3,833 votes.
Read More: AJK sets August 24 polls for reserved seats
The results further strengthened the PML-N’s position in the AJK Assembly and put the party in a strong position to form the next government. It secured the largest number of directly elected seats in the three-phase election, while the PPP emerged as the principal opposition force.
The PML-N is also expected to gain six additional reserved seats, including seats for women and special categories such as Ulema-o-Mashaikh, overseas Kashmiris and technocrats. These seats are expected to further increase the party’s strength in the assembly.
The 2026 elections were held in three phases across AJK, with the PML-N maintaining a strong performance throughout. The party won a majority of the directly contested seats, while the PPP secured several key constituencies and retained a significant parliamentary presence.
The victories of Sardar Zia-ul-Qamar and Sardar Mir Akbar Khan brought the final two outstanding constituencies into the assembly tally, with the PPP and PML-N taking one seat each.
With 25 seats currently secured, the PML-N holds a clear advantage in the race to form the government. Its expected gains from reserved and special seats are likely to further consolidate its position in the assembly.
The PPP, with 12 seats, is set to become the main opposition force, while the remaining political groups and independents could play a role as the process of government formation begins.Read More
