AJK Legislative Assembly. Photo: Express
ISLAMABAD:
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal on Tuesday announced that the upcoming AJK elections would begin on July 27 as scheduled, but the elections would now be held in three phases in different divisions, with the armed forces deployed to supervise the electoral process.
“As per the revised schedule, elections in Mirpur division will be held on July 27, while Muzaffarabad division and 12 refugee constituencies will go to polls on August 2. Elections in Poonch division will take place on August 10,” Mughal said during a press conference in Muzaffarabad.
He further said that the elections would be held under the supervision of the armed forces.
The announcement came at a politically charged time, with election campaigns entering their final week and authorities rushing to complete logistical and security preparations for one of the region’s most closely watched elections.
A day earlier, AJK took a significant step towards its July 27 Legislative Assembly elections when advance polls for government employees on electoral duty concluded peacefully in eight districts, with overwhelming voter turnout and electoral authorities declaring themselves fully prepared to conduct what they promised would be free, fair and transparent elections.
The special voting exercise, seen as the election commission’s first major test before polling day, was held in all districts except Rawalakot and Sudhnoti, where voting was postponed due to security concerns. Despite the exceptions, officials described the process as smooth, orderly and uneventful, with voter turnout above 80 percent in almost all districts where elections were held.
With less than a week to go before the elections, both the PML-N and the PPP have intensified their campaigns with senior national leaders making high-profile appearances in a bid to galvanize their supporters and vote banks ahead of the contest for the 45-member AJK Legislative Assembly.
Read: Over 80% turnout in AJK early voting
Background
Recent riots and deadly clashes broke out in areas including Rawalakot where the JAAC had been staging a sit-in in front of the Rawalakot Combined Military Hospital. AJK Police allege that armed JAAC members opened fire on law enforcement forces deployed in a planned attack, leaving four personnel dead and around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this version, stating that security forces used tear gas and fired projectiles towards the hospital.
According to the AJK police, three people linked to the JAAC and four law enforcement officers died during the protests. However, the JAAC said in a statement that seven people were killed and dozens injured when shots were fired on the street in the dark after the electricity was allegedly cut.
AJK’s 53-member legislative assembly includes 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees, people who fled Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1947 and 1965 and are now scattered across Pakistan. Six seats represent refugees from the Jammu division (~434,000 people) and six from the Kashmir Valley (~30,000 people), an already imbalanced arrangement that many consider unfair.
Read more: Politics picks up ahead of July 27 AJK elections
The region witnessed one of its most turbulent periods in October last year, when protests led by the JAAC broke out over demands for constitutional and governance reforms. At least nine people, including three police officers, died during the riots.
The JAAC, which organized the protests and strike, had put forward a wide-ranging charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, and the elimination of the quota system.
Two days after the violence, the government and the JAAC reached an agreement covering 12 basic and 13 additional points. Under the agreement, both sides agreed to constitute a high-level committee to examine the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
