MUZAFFARABAD: The second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections is underway today, with voters casting ballots for 9 seats in Muzaffarabad division and 12 refugee seats reserved for Kashmiri migrants.
Polling began at 8 am and will continue until 5 pm, with 1,483 polling stations established across Muzaffarabad division.
Kashmiri voters residing in different cities of Pakistan are also exercising their franchise. In Karachi, polling is being held for Jammu‑1 and Kashmir Valley‑1 seats, with 34 polling stations set up.
There are 698 registered voters on Jammu‑1 and 4,200 registered voters on Kashmir Valley‑1.
Polling is also taking place on three refugee seats in Rawalpindi and Islamabad — LA‑43 Valley‑4, LA‑44 Valley‑5, and LA‑39 Jammu‑6. A total of 12 candidates are contesting in LA‑43, 8 candidates in LA‑44, and 14 candidates in LA‑39.
According to the District Election Commission, 10 polling stations have been set up in LA‑43 Valley‑4, 27 in LA‑44 Valley‑5, and 155 in LA‑39 Jammu‑6. Registered voters include 3,346 in LA‑43 (with more than 1,600 women), 6,996 in LA‑44 (including 3,294 women), and nearly 37,000 in LA‑39.
The second phase follows a turbulent first round in Mirpur division, where clashes in Nakyal, riots in Samahni, and reports of violence in Rawlakot marred the process. Despite these incidents, the Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal had declared the first phase “free and transparent,” while opposition parties — particularly the PPP — continue to allege rigging and demand halting of results.
Observers note that the real contest between PML‑N and PPP remains the focal point of the elections, with today’s polling in Muzaffarabad and refugee constituencies expected to further shape the political narrative.
