AJK election commissioner says polls to be held in three phases beginning July 27

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission on Tuesday announced that elections in the region, which were originally slated for July 27, would now be held in three phases ending on August 10. AJK Election Commissioner retired Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal made the announcement at a press conference, citing the unavailability of security forces due to ongoing operations in the provinces. He said that polls will be held in three phases: polling in 13 constituencies of Mirpur division will be held on July 27, polling in nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies will be held on August 2 and polling for 11 constituencies of Poonch division will be held on August 10. PML-N and PPP have stepped up their election campaigns recently, with their top leadership taking charge of the election campaign to galvanise their support base. PPP announced its candidates for 35 of the 45 seats of the AJK assembly, while withholding decisions on eight constituencies and allocating two seats to its electoral ally, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) (JUI-F). Leading up to the elections in AJK, the proscribed Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) staged protests and marches to demand the abolition of 12 seats reserved for refugees from India-held Kashmir who have settled in the region. JAAC protests and the administration’s response have repeatedly turned violent over the past few weeks. This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.