PML-N secures strong lead in AJK polls, wins 9 of 13 seats in Mirpur as unofficial results pour in

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the dominant party in the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, securing nine of the 13 seats contested across Mirpur Division, according to unofficial and unconfirmed results, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won the remaining four seats in the division, which comprises the districts of Mirpur, Kotli and Chaksawari, Express News reported on Tuesday.

Polling was held on Monday across 13 constituencies in the three districts from 8am to 6pm, after the Election Commission extended voting by one hour from the scheduled closing time of 5pm.

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 covered all 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division, while polling in Muzaffarabad Division and the 12 refugee constituencies would be held on August 2, followed by Poonch (Rawalakot) Division on August 10.

According to unofficial results, PML-N’s Azhar Sadiq won LA-1 Mirpur-I with 15,427 votes, defeating PPP’s Muhammad Afsar Shahid, who secured 9,832 votes. PPP’s Qasim Majeed won LA-2 Chaksawari with 12,904 votes, while PML-N’s Azeem Bakhsh Chaudhry received 8,182 votes.

In LA-3 Mirpur-III, PPP’s Chaudhry Yasir Sultan secured victory with 11,676 votes, ahead of PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed, who polled 9,832 votes. PML-N’s Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed won LA-4 Mirpur-IV with 20,172 votes, defeating PPP’s Chaudhry Sohaib Arshad, who received 13,865 votes.

In LA-5 Bhimber-I, PML-N’s Waqar Ahmad Noor secured 30,259 votes to narrowly defeat PPP’s Chaudhry Pervez Ashraf, who polled 29,574 votes. PML-N also won LA-7 Bhimber-III, where Chaudhry Tariq Farooq received 35,490 votes, while independent candidate Chaudhry Anwarul Haq finished second with 25,100 votes.

In LA-8 Kotli-I, PPP’s Zafar Iqbal Malik won with 19,535 votes, defeating PML-N’s Malik Muhammad Nawaz Khan, who secured 11,966 votes. PML-N’s Umair Naeem claimed LA-9 Kotli-II with 31,080 votes, ahead of PPP’s Javed Iqbal Budhanvi, who received 28,509 votes.

PPP retained LA-10 Kotli-III, where Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin won with 12,431 votes, while PML-N’s Fatah Mehmood-ul-Hassan secured 9,245 votes. In LA-11 Kotli-IV, PML-N’s Muhammad Asif won with 26,190 votes, defeating PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Akhlaq, who polled 21,751 votes.

Read: PML-N surges ahead in first phase of AJK elections

PML-N also secured LA-12 Kotli-V, where Muhammad Riasat Khan received 35,168 votes, while PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin obtained 30,320 votes. In LA-13 Kotli-VI, PML-N’s Raja Ayaz Ahmad Khan won with 21,856 votes, ahead of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’s Nisar Ansar Abdali, who secured 15,859 votes.

Results for LA-6 Bhimber-II were still incomplete at the time of reporting. With results from 100 of 195 polling stations counted, PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Razaq was leading with 21,210 votes, followed by the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’s Ali Shan Chaudhry with 11,354 votes.

Voter turnout, however, was lower than in the previous AJK elections, with fewer people casting their ballots across the division.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar said the results reflected the public’s confidence in PML-N’s leadership, saying the party’s performance demonstrated support for Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s vision for the development of Azad Kashmir.

Reacting to the outcome, PML-N leader and Punjab Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said on X that the people of Mirpur had already indicated their support for the party during former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s visit on July 24.

She said Monday’s vote had formally endorsed that decision, adding that Muzaffarabad had also delivered its verdict on July 21 and expressing confidence that voters in the remaining constituencies would back PML-N in the next phase of polling on August 2.

Elections held amid rigging allegations

Despite the extensive security arrangements, election day was overshadowed by allegations of rigging and sporadic violence, as coalition partners at the centre — the PML-N and the PPP — traded accusations of electoral interference throughout the day.

The PML-N first alleged pre-poll rigging in Kotli’s LA-10 constituency after party leaders claimed polling staff and election material had been found at a private residence instead of the designated polling station. The Election Commission later confirmed it had arrested and suspended two presiding officers over the incident, replacing them with new officials and initiating legal proceedings under election laws.

Read More: One dies as violence, rigging allegations cloud first phase of AJK elections

The PPP, meanwhile, repeatedly accused the federal government and the PML-N of using state machinery to influence the polls, alleging armed supporters attempted to disrupt voting at several polling stations and demanding immediate intervention by the Election Commission. The party also complained that polling at one station in Kotli remained suspended for nearly two hours, depriving voters of their right to cast ballots.

Tensions escalated further in LA-9 Kotli-II (Nikyal), where PPP worker Mukhtar Younus was killed during polling. The PPP alleged he was shot during incidents involving armed supporters of a PML-N candidate, while PML-N leaders disputed the party’s account of the incident. Local authorities confirmed one person had died and two others, including the victim’s father, were injured.

As the accusations intensified, senior leaders from both parties held competing press conferences. The PPP accused the federal government of interfering in the elections through development announcements and misuse of official resources, while the PML-N alleged the PPP was itself attempting to manipulate the vote, claiming ballot papers had been recovered from the residence of a rival candidate.

Throughout the day, the Election Commission maintained that strict action would be taken against any violations of the electoral code of conduct, saying irregularities and negligence would not be tolerated. Despite the controversies, polling concluded after the one-hour extension before vote counting began.