PML-N Wins 9 Mirpur Seats in AJK Elections
News Desk
Mirpur: The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) emerged as the dominant political force in Mirpur Division during the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, securing nine of the region’s 13 seats, despite isolated incidents of violence that overshadowed an otherwise peaceful polling process.
According to unofficial results, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won the remaining four seats, while the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) failed to secure representation from the division.
Among the key victories, PML-N’s Azhar Sadiq won LA-1 Mirpur with 15,427 votes against PPP’s Muhammad Afsar Shahid, who received 9,832 votes. PPP claimed LA-2, where Qasim Majeed secured 31,378 votes, defeating PML-N’s Azeem Bakhsh Chaudhry, and retained LA-3 with Yasir Sultan defeating Chaudhry Saeed in a closely contested race.
PML-N regained momentum in LA-4 as Rukhsar Ahmed won with 22,376 votes over PPP’s Sohaib Arshad. One of the biggest upsets came in LA-7, where senior PML-N leader Tariq Farooq secured a commanding victory with 37,613 votes, defeating former Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, who contested as an independent candidate.
PPP’s Zafar Iqbal won LA-8 Kotli with 19,535 votes, while PML-N’s Malik Muhammad Nawaz finished second.
The remaining constituencies largely favored PML-N. Umair Naeem won LA-9 with 31,080 votes, Muhammad Asif secured victory in LA-11, Raja Riyataz triumphed in LA-12 by defeating PPP AJK President Chaudhry Yasin, and Raja Ayaz Ahmed Khan captured LA-13 Kotli.
Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal described the elections as transparent and peaceful overall, praising the administration and law enforcement agencies for ensuring smooth polling.
He said all major political parties actively participated in the electoral process and credited security forces with preventing disruptions, including the timely arrest of individuals attempting to interfere with polling in Samahni.
However, election day was marked by serious violence in several areas.
In Nakial, Kotli, a PPP worker, Mukhtar Younis, was killed in a firing incident, while three others sustained injuries. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemned the killing, alleging that a PML-N candidate was involved in the shooting.
He claimed authorities had failed to act on an earlier video showing armed activity, arguing that timely intervention could have prevented the fatal incident.
Another major disturbance occurred at the Darbar Baba Shadi Shaheed polling station in Bhimber, where clashes between rival political workers escalated into violence.
According to election officials, miscreants snatched a ballot box containing 232 votes and set it on fire. The District Returning Officer said a decision on whether to hold re-polling at the station would be announced later.
Police arrested Iqbal Party candidate Ali Shan Soni and his son, Adeel Ali Shan, in connection with the alleged ballot box burning and firing incident. Authorities have registered a case against both suspects under charges related to ballot box snatching and terrorism.
While the election delivered a decisive victory for PML-N in Mirpur Division, the violent incidents have prompted renewed concerns over electoral security and may continue to draw political scrutiny in the days ahead.
