MUZAFFARABAD:
Government employees assigned to electoral duties for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) general elections 2026 will cast their votes on Monday (tomorrow) as per arrangements made by the AJK Election Commission (EC), enabling them to exercise their right to vote before the polling day.
According to Khawaja Ahsan, senior EC member of AJK, elections for electoral personnel will be held at designated polling stations established at the district headquarters of the respective districts to facilitate officials deployed on electoral duty.
The AJK EC has directed all District Returning Officers (DROs), Returning Officers (ROs), District Administrations and other relevant departments to complete all necessary arrangements to ensure that polling for election personnel is conducted in a transparent, orderly and timely manner.
As per the commission’s instructions, Ahsan said all officials assigned to electoral duties have been directed to report to their designated polling stations on the scheduled date and time to cast their votes and strictly comply with the procedures and code of conduct issued by the electoral commission.
president of the PPP
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will address a public election rally in Kotli on Sunday (today) as the party intensifies its campaign for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections on July 27, following an encouraging response to the launch of its campaign in Dadyal.
The Kotli rally will be Bilawal’s second public meeting during the election campaign after he launched the party’s campaign with a rally in Dadyal on July 17.
The PPP claims that its campaign has since gained significant momentum across AJK and that the party has further strengthened its position ahead of the elections.
PPP AJK media advisor SyedAzadar Hussain Shah said the Kotli rally would demonstrate the party’s public support and expressed confidence that Kashmiris would support the PPP’s narrative on “right to self-governance, right to property and right to employment” by voting for the party’s candidates.
“This election is not just about forming a government but about safeguarding the rights of the people of Kashmir and determining the future course of development, empowerment and prosperity,” he said.
Shah maintained that the large turnout and enthusiastic participation of party workers at the Dadyal rally had revitalized the election campaign.
New schedule for LA-24
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission (AJKEC) has released a new election schedule for LA-24 Poonch-Sudhnoti-7 (Baloch) following the death of independent candidate Zahid Yasin.
According to an AJKEC spokesperson, the returning officer terminated the electoral process in the constituency under Article 45 of the AJK Election Act, 2020, after receiving a report about the death of the candidate. In accordance with the law, a new electoral calendar has now been announced.
As per the revised schedule, candidates can submit their nomination papers to the returning officer at the district headquarters in Pallandri till July 21. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on July 22 from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon after which the provisional list of validly nominated candidates will be published.
Appeals against the returning officer’s decisions can be filed with the AJKEC from July 23 to 26 until 2:00 pm. The commission will hear the appeals on July 28 and announce its decisions on the same day.
