The residents of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) have gone to the polls today to elect new members of the region’s Legislative Assembly.
AJK has a total of 32,50,117 registered voters, including 17,8,800 male and 14,68,317 female.
There are 33 electoral constituencies in the ten districts of AJK. While 12 constituencies are reserved for Pakistan-based Jammu & Kashmir refugees. Polling booths in all the provinces have been set up for the refugees.
Over 2.8 million voters have been registered in 33 AJK constituencies and 0.4 million in 12 Jammu Kashmir refugees based in various parts of Pakistan.
A total of 691 candidates, including 381 belonging to a total of 32 registered political parties and a total of 310 independent candidates, are in the run to win the election for 45 seats.
The elections are being held under the supervision of AJK Judiciary, Pakistan Army and Rangers with the coordination of the local civil law enforcement institutions.
3:00pm — PML-N’s Raja Farooq Haider claims his polling agent was thrashed by PTI
AJK PM Raja Farooq Haider claimed that a “PTI ticket holder thrashed” a PML-N polling agent representing him in his constituency.
“A Public Works Department contractor, a ticket holder of PTI entered in polling station no 57 [and] thrashed my polling agent,|” claimed the PML-N candidate. He added that he has conveyed the incident to the returning officer and warned that if the action was not stopped then her has “every right to take action”.
2:00pm — Kotli, AJK — Two people killed due to clashes between political parties
At least two people were killed due to clashes between political parties in Kotli, police said on Sunday.
The police said that the two other people who were injured are being treated at a hospital
1:30pm — PML-N workers exposing vote thieves: Maryam Nawaz
PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz tweeted that the her party workers are standing firmly and exposing the “vote thieves”.
“PML-N workers are standing firm and exposing vote thieves,” said Maryam. She added that the Nawaz Sharif’s slogan of “vote ko izzat do”, respect the vote, has given her party “active activists”.
1:15pm — PPP demands re-polling in two polling stations of LA-29
Head of PPP’s central election cell Taj Haider has demanded the secretary election commission to hold repolling in polling stations 29 and 30 of LA-29.
In the letter, Haider said that repolling should be done as the polling was stopped due to a scuffle. He also claimed that in polling station 98 of LA-16 PPP voters were beaten.
1:00pm — Peshawar, Pakistan — Polling resumes at govt school after scuffle between principal and polling staff
Polling was stopped briefly at the polling station set up at the Government Shaheed Hussain Ali Shah Higher Secondary School after a physical altercation between the school principal and the presiding officer.
The physical altercation between the two happened over a power outage at the school. The scuffle between the two began after the presiding officer complained about the electricity problem.
The polling process was stopped after the scuffle as the presiding officer and the polling staff refused to perform their duty in protest.
The polling resumed after issues between the polling staff and the principal were resolved.
12:30pm — Bagh, AJK — Seven injured in scuffle outside polling station
Seven people injured after scuffle between to workers of political parties outside a polling station in Bagh.
The scuffle took place in a polling station set up for the constituency LA-15.
12:00pm — AJK PM Raja Farooq Haider claims LEAs “collaborating” with PTI candidate
AJK Prime Minister and PML-N candidate Raja Farooq Haider claimed that the law enforcing agencies are “collaborating” with PTI candidate.
“I was told just now that in MZD 7 Dara Batangi and Banayia law enforcing agencies are collaborating with PTI candidate,” tweetd the AJK PM.
11:30am — Gujranwala, Pakistan — PML-N won’t let the presiding officer go till Form-45 is given
PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah, in a press conference, vowed that his party’s polling agents will not let the presiding officers leaving the polling stations without the From-45.
Sanaullah said that votes will be counted in front of the polling agents and asked the deputy commissioner Gujranwala to cancel his plans to visit the polling stations.
11:00am — PTI to carry the day, claims Shibli Faraz
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz claimed on Sunday that the PTI will emerge victorious in the AJK polls.
Faraz said that the “tried and tested” PML-N and PPP have failed and PTI will “carry the day”.
10:30am — More than 3,800 voters to Kashmiris to cast votes in Karachi
Regional election commissioner Nadeem Haider told Geo News that 3,860 Kashmir voters are in Karachi for the two seats — LA-34 and LA-40 — allocated for the refugees.
10:00am — 25 polling stations set up in Lahore
A total of 25 polling stations have been set up in Lahore so that people can cast their votes for two seats of the AJK Legislative Assembly. The process of polling started on time.
9:30am — Polling stopped in constituency Muzaffarabad LA-27
Police said that polling in Muzaffarabad LA-27 was stopped after a scuffle between two groups.
9:00am — AJK CEC predicts 56% voter turnout
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) retired Justice Abdul Rashid Sulehria has predicted that the voter turnout for today’s polls will be around 56%.
Addressing a press conference, the AJK CEC said that his institution has directed the presiding officers to announce the results at once. He also added that they have been directed to provide a copy of the results to the polling agents.
8am — Polling underway for 45 assembly seats
Polling stations have been opened across AJK and Pakistan for the voters to take part in today’s elections.