AJK legislative assembly. Photo: Express
ISLAMABAD:
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal announced on Tuesday that the upcoming AJK elections would begin on July 27 as scheduled, but polling would now be held in three phases across different divisions, with the armed forces deployed to oversee the electoral process.
“Under the revised schedule, polling in Mirpur Division will be held on July 27, while Muzaffarabad Division and the 12 refugee constituencies will go to the polls on August 2. Elections in Poonch Division will take place on August 10,” Mughal said while speaking at a press conference in Muzaffarabad.
He further said that the elections would be held under the supervision of the armed forces.
The announcement came at a politically charged time, with election campaigns entering their final week and authorities racing to complete logistical and security preparations for one of the most closely watched elections in the region.
A day earlier, AJK took a significant step towards its July 27 Legislative Assembly elections as advance polling for government employees on election duty concluded peacefully in eight districts, with an overwhelming voter turnout and election authorities declaring themselves fully prepared to conduct what they pledged would be free, fair and transparent elections.
The special polling exercise, regarded as the election commission’s first major test ahead of polling day, was held in all districts except Rawalakot and Sudhnoti, where voting was postponed because of security concerns. Despite the exceptions, officials described the process as smooth, orderly and incident-free, with voter turnout exceeding 80 per cent in almost every district where polling took place.
With less than a week remaining before polling, both the PML-N and PPP have stepped up their campaigns with senior national leaders making high-profile appearances in a bid to galvanise supporters and vote banks ahead of the contest for the 45-member AJK Legislative Assembly.
Read: Over 80% turnout in AJK advance vote
Background
The recent unrest and deadly clashes broke out in areas, including Rawalakot, where the JAAC had been holding a sit-in outside the Combined Military Hospital Rawalakot. AJK police allege that armed JAAC members opened fire on deployed law enforcement in a planned attack, leaving four personnel dead and around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this account, claiming security forces used tear gas and fired shells toward the hospital.
According to the AJK police, three individuals linked to the JAAC and four law enforcement personnel were killed during the protests. JAAC, however, said in a statement that seven individuals were killed and dozens were injured when street firing was carried out in the dark after electricity was allegedly cut off.
AJK’s 53-member legislative assembly includes 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees — people who fled Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1947 and 1965 and are now scattered across Pakistan. Six seats represent refugees from the Jammu division (~434,000 people) and six from the Kashmir Valley (~30,000 people) — an already lopsided arrangement that many see as unfair.
Read More: Politicking picks up ahead of July 27 AJK elections
The region witnessed one of its most turbulent periods in October last year when protests led by the JAAC erupted over demands for constitutional and governance reforms. At least nine people, including three policemen, were killed during the unrest.
The JAAC, which organised the protests and strike, had presented a wide-ranging charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, and the scrapping of the quota system.
Two days after the violence, the government and the JAAC reached an agreement covering 12 core and 13 additional points. Under the accord, both sides agreed to constitute a high-level committee to examine the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
