MIRPUR: Polling ended Monday in the first phase of the 2026 Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections, with vote counting now underway across 13 constituencies in the Mirpur Division.
Voting was held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in four constituencies in Mirpur district, three in Bhimber, and six in Kotli, where a total of 288 candidates contested the elections.
The main contest is expected to be between candidates of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), while the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and independent candidates are also in the race.
According to election authorities, the Mirpur Division has 1,400,437 registered voters, including 724,811 men and 675,626 women.
A total of 2,316 polling stations were established for the first phase of voting, with 1,241 classified as highly sensitive and 724 as sensitive due to security concerns.
Authorities deployed 18,560 security personnel across the division, supported by 2,100 Pakistan Army troops, to help ensure a peaceful and transparent electoral process.
Election officials said comprehensive security arrangements were put in place, and no major security incidents were immediately reported as vote counting continued.
Earlier, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari alleged that a PPP worker was fatally shot by supporters of a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate during voting in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, calling on authorities and the Election Commission to investigate the incident.
In a statement, Bilawal expressed grief over the death of Mukhtar Younis, a PPP worker from LA-9 Kotli-II (Nikyal). He claimed he had received information that the shooting was carried out by PML-N candidate Sardar Umair Naeem, and questioned the response of the relevant authorities and the Election Commission.
Bilawal also alleged that a video had surfaced two days earlier showing the PML-N candidate and his associates openly firing weapons.
More read, AJK Legislative Assembly elections begin with first phase voting
He said timely action by authorities could have prevented the fatal incident and accused the PPP’s political opponents of resorting to violence after becoming frustrated.
