Voting Begins in Muzaffarabad Division, 12 Refugee Seats 

News Desk

Islamabad: Polling is underway for the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, with voters casting ballots in nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad Division and 12 refugee seats across Pakistan.

Voting began at 8am and will continue uninterrupted until 5pm Election authorities have established 1,483 polling stations across Muzaffarabad Division to facilitate voters.

Polling is also being held for refugee constituencies representing Kashmiris living in different cities of Pakistan, including six seats each for Jammu and the Kashmir Valley.

In Karachi, voting is taking place for the Jammu-1 and Kashmir Valley-1 refugee seats, where 34 polling stations have been established. The Jammu-1 constituency has 698 registered voters, while the Kashmir Valley-1 seat has more than 4,200 registered voters.

Meanwhile, polling is also underway in Rawalpindi and Islamabad for three refugee constituencies: LA-43 Valley-4, LA-44 Valley-5 and LA-39 Jammu-6.

A total of 12 candidates are contesting LA-43 Valley-4, while eight candidates are in the race for LA-44 Valley-5. The LA-39 Jammu-6 constituency has the largest contest, with 14 candidates seeking election.

Election officials said LA-43 Valley-4 has 3,346 registered voters, including more than 1,600 women. LA-44 Valley-5 has 6,996 registered voters, of whom 3,294 are female, while LA-39 Jammu-6 has nearly 37,000 registered voters.

To ensure smooth polling, the District Election Commission has set up 10 polling stations for LA-43 Valley-4, 27 for LA-44 Valley-5 and 155 polling stations for LA-39 Jammu-6.

The second phase of polling is expected to play a key role in determining the composition of the next AJK Legislative Assembly.