MUZAFFARABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has leveled serious allegations of rigging in the first phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, demanding that the announcement of results be stopped until an inquiry is completed.
AJK polls: Violence mars polling in Nakyal as clashes halt voting
According to media reports, a PPP delegation led by senior leaders Nayyar Bukhari and Qamar Zaman Kaira met the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in Muzaffarabad and urged officials to suspend results until the Returning Officer’s (RO) inquiry report is finalized.
Bukhari claimed that PPP had a majority in the elections, asserting that the party was ahead in seven seats before disturbances in Kotli affected the outcome. He alleged that PPP polling agents were forcibly expelled from one constituency, a complaint formally submitted to the Election Commission.
AJK Elections: IPP candidate arrested in Samahni for alleged vandalism
Kaira, meanwhile, said that PPP’s protest was part of a constitutional process to safeguard electoral integrity. He criticized the Election Commission for allowing unofficial results to be announced, arguing that halting them would not have impacted polling in other districts.
These accusations follow a turbulent first phase of polling in 13 constituencies of Mirpur division, marked by clashes in Nakyal, the arrest of IPP candidate Chaudhry Ali Shan Soni in Samahni on terrorism charges, and allegations of rigging in LA‑10 Kotli by Prime Minister’s Advisor Rana Sanaullah.
Despite these controversies, the Election Commission earlier declared the process free and transparent, praising law enforcement agencies for maintaining order.
PMLN’s Rana Sanaullah alleges rigging in AJK’s Kotli constituency
Political observers note that the real battle between PML‑N and PPP — allies in Pakistan’s federal government but rivals in AJK — continues to dominate the narrative, with each allegation and counter‑claim intensifying scrutiny of the electoral process.
