Polling for the first phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s general elections has started across 13 constituencies in the Mirpur division.
Voting opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m., and Monday has been declared a public holiday in the three districts of the division—Bhimber, Mirpur, and Kotli—to facilitate the process.
A total of 288 candidates are vying for seats. The Election Commission reports that polls will be held at 2,316 booths, of which 1,241 are classified as highly sensitive and 724 as sensitive.
Monitoring is being organised through 13 zones and 205 sectors across the division, with 18,560 police and law‑enforcement personnel deployed under a three‑tier security framework.
Under the arrangement, police will provide the first layer of security, followed by the Punjab and Sindh Rangers and the Federal Constabulary, and ultimately the Pakistan Army. Approximately 2,100 personnel from the army will also be in place, with Quick Response Force teams on standby for emergencies.
Polling in AJK takes place in three phases to address security concerns. The second and third phases are slated for August 2 and August 10, covering nine constituencies in the Muzaffarabad division, all 12 refugee constituencies, and 11 constituencies in the Poonch division.
Allegations of Electoral Rigging
During Monday’s polling, the PML‑N accused election rigging in Kotli’s LA‑10 constituency. Rana Sanaullah—also the prime minister’s adviser on political affairs—claimed that PPP President in AJK, Chaudhry Yasin, was involved in the alleged rigging and that officials implicated had already been apprehended.
In an audio clip broadcast by Geo News, he further demanded that the AJK government and prime minister arrest a patwari named Qaisar, interrogate him regarding the alleged rigging, and identify co‑conspirators.
Sanaullah stated that votes in the constituency would be unacceptable to his party until his inquiry concluded.
Although the AJK government had not issued an official statement on the incident, a press release from the Press Information Department on Sunday evening announced that two presiding officers in Kotli had been arrested after reports indicated they had left their polling stations to go to a residence.
“When the incident was reported, the returning officer issued directives to confiscate the polling material provided to the two presiding officers and replace them. The returning officer took the polling material into his custody, removed the presiding officers from their duties and had them arrested,” the statement said.
It added that action was being taken against them according to the law while two new presiding officers had been deployed in their place at the relevant polling stations.
In response, PPP spokesman Nadeem Afzal Chan released a video statement, arguing that his party had highlighted from day one that federal ministers and government officials were present during polling due to announced projects.
“So our first demand is that the federal government’s machinery should not interfere [in the elections] at all,” he said, further referring to the PML‑N’s announcement of e‑buses for AJK and their subsequent arrival in Muzaffarabad last week.
He also alleged the use of government resources in elections, demanding an end to it. Chan stressed the need for fair and transparent elections, saying: “We will not colectiva rigging happen gifted cost. Have some patience and let people cast their vote.”
Renewed Rivalry between PPP and PML‑N Amid AJK Elections
PPP and PML‑N, allies at the federal level, have been exchanging pointed criticisms ahead of the AJK elections, approaching the contest as a showdown between the two parties.
The parties’ leaders, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto‑Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, both campaigned in Mirpur, casting the election as a face‑off between them.
During a May rally in Mirpur on Friday, Nawaz critiqued Bilawal, noting that Kashmir must not be confused with Kashmore and Mirpur with Mirpurkhas—districts in Sindh where the PPP exercises longstanding influence.
The PML‑N, in turn, supplied 10 e‑buses to Muzaffarabad and Mirpur as a “gift” and announced development plans, prompting the PPP to accuse poll code violations.
Bilawal replied on Sunday, stressing that regardless of geography—whether Kashmir or Kashmore, Mirpur or Mirpurkhas—the residents remain unwilling to compromise their rights.
He further criticized Nawaz and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz over the announcement of electric buses and mobile hospitals for AJK residents before the election.
“Something built with the public’s money is not a gift from any politician — it is the public’s right,” he said, adding that he wanted to secure for the people of Kashmir the right to governance, the right to ownership, and the right to employment.
The warning came after the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) announced on social media a planned long march from Mirpur towards Muzaffarabad on election day. JAAC member Umar Nazir Kashmiri claimed that caravans would converge at the Rawalakot sit‑in, then march after Zuhr prayers.
When Mirpur DIG police was asked about the protest call given by the banned outfit, the official told Dawn on Sunday evening that not a single person had turned up anywhere to participate in any Rawalakot‑bound rally.
Meanwhile, AJK Chief Secretary Khushal Khan warned of strict legal action against anyone attempting to disrupt the polling process or disturb public order afterwards.
