PTI Declares Boycott of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Elections Amid Regional Turmoil

Muzaffarabad – PTI announced on Thursday that it would boycott the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) general election, stating that it will stand by the people amid prevailing political and social unrest.

The announcement was conveyed by PTI regional president and former AJK chief minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi through his press secretary, as reported by Dawn.

“We stand in firm solidarity with the aspirations, right to self‑determination, and democratic rights of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Under the current circumstances, PTI will not participate in the elections,” Niazi said.

He emphasized that the decision is not a political maneuver but a principled stance that aligns with the public’s interests.

Regional president says party will stand with people amid prevailing political, social unrest

Niazi pointed to the ongoing turbulence across AJK, noting that thousands of citizens had staged sit‑ins in Rawalakot and other areas to demand change, and lamented the loss of lives due to government coercion and force.

He also mentioned that the suspension of food supply lines from Punjab to AJK has plunged the populace into severe economic distress.

“Rather than push the Kashmiri people toward further political instability, an immediate and just solution must be found,” he urged.

Niazi warned that the government’s current administrative measures were eroding AJK’s constitutional, democratic, and political identity. He cautioned that an environment is being engineered to blur the fundamental distinction between liberated and occupied territories of Jammu and Kashmir, a trajectory he described as deeply damaging to Pakistan’s Kashmir policy.

He noted that the electoral process loses its credibility and meaning when the public is on the streets, representational voices are muffled, political workers and leaders are arrested, and strict curbs are placed on the media and freedom of expression.

“PTI will not engage in the politics of power by ignoring the voice of the Kashmiri people,” he said, adding that the party’s topmost priority remains the protection of basic human rights and a justice‑based political process.

Niazi outlined the conditions that would allow PTI to return to the polls: restoration of normalcy, genuine addressing of grievances from all political and public forces, and resolution of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) demands through mutual understanding.

He also called for a revision of the election schedule to ensure a level playing field for all political parties.

He reiterated that the decision is entirely divorced from any calculations of political gain or loss; instead, PTI’s focus is to fight for the democratic rights of Kashmiris and advocate for a just settlement of the JAAC’s demands.

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