Polling for the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections began on Sunday morning across nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies.
The voting process began at 8am and will continue till 5pm.
Voting is taking place in nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division — five in Muzaffarabad district, two in Jhelum Valley, and two in Neelum — with 207 candidates contesting.
Simultaneously, polling is also being held in all 12 refugee constituencies, including six seats reserved for refugees from the Kashmir Valley and six for refugees from the Jammu region.
A total of 137 candidates are in the race for these refugee seats.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged victorious in the first phase of polls held in Mirpur division on August 27, clinching nine seats while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured four of the 13 seats.
The PPP has alleged widespread rigging by the PML-N during the first phase, with the PML-N rejecting all allegations.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said in a press conference that his party has evidence of 30 polling stations where turnout was recorded at 99% and pledged to reclaim all its seats through legal and constitutional means.
The third and final phase of the elections will be held in Poonch Division on August 10.
Addressing a joint press conference on Saturday, the AJK Election Commission secretary and Senior Member Muhammad Ahsan urged people to actively participate in the polling process and elect representatives of their choice.
They said voting is the democratic expression of the people’s will and the most effective way for citizens to influence lawmaking through their elected representatives.
This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.
2026-08-02 08:30:00
