PML-N secures 5 of 7 reserved seats up for grabs in AJK Legislative Assembly

PML-N dominates reserved seats in AJK Assembly polls

MUZAFFARABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has won five of the seven reserved seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured the remaining two, according to results announced on Monday. The polling brought the 53-member assembly closer to full composition, though elections in seven constituencies remain pending due to security concerns.

The results were confirmed across multiple counts, with the PML-N's candidates prevailing in four of the five women's seats, as well as the seats reserved for Ulema and technocrats. The PPP won one women's seat and secured the other through a draw after a tie.

The final seat tallies were as follows: For the five seats reserved for women, the PML-N's Sehrish Qamar, Maryam Idrees, and Maryam Zaman each polled seven votes, as did the PPP's Farzana Yaqoob, securing their places in the assembly. The fifth women's seat saw a tie at five votes between the PML-N's Riffat Abid and the PPP's Zobia Khurshid Raja, with Raja declared the winner after drawing lots. In the Ulema and Mashaikh constituency, the PML-N's Mohammad Mazhar Saeed defeated the PPP's Hafiz Tariq Mahmood by 26 votes to 12. Similarly, Barrister Syed Iftikhar Gillani of the PML-N took the technocrat seat with 26 votes against the PPP's Sahibzada Zulfiqar Ali, who received 14.

The eighth reserved seat, for overseas state subjects, had already been filled unopposed by the PML-N's Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Arain.

Under Article 22(1) of the AJK Constitution, the Legislative Assembly comprises 53 members: 45 directly elected and eight chosen by them to represent reserved categories.

Background and ongoing disputes

The elections were held in three phases on July 27, August 2, and August 10 due to security concerns. Seven directly elected seats—five in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti—remain vacant because of the law and order situation, meaning only 38 of the 45 directly elected members participated in Monday's vote. Of those, the PML-N won 25 and the PPP 12. One independent member from the Awami Dast-o-Bazu party has also joined the PML-N.

Polling on Monday took place between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The assembly's inaugural session was scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, with outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar—who lost his seat—administering the oath to new members.

The PPP has alleged widespread rigging in the elections. Speaking to reporters, party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said certain concerns would need to be addressed before his party could consider a genuine political alliance with the PML-N at the federal level, echoing similar remarks he made in the lead-up to the vote. He also referenced unfulfilled commitments made before the elections and alleged the involvement of federal machinery. Bilawal's comments come amid wider tensions between the two parties over national legislation, including bills taken up by the National Assembly on August 18 and 20.

The path to government formation

The assembly's near-full composition paves the way for the formation of the next government in AJK, with the next steps in the election of a new prime minister and speaker expected to proceed now that the results are in.