AJK second-phase elections underway amid tight security in sensitive constituencies

WEB DESK: Polling for the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections is underway, with stringent security measures in place across sensitive constituencies.

Voting began at 8 am on Sunday in eight constituencies of the Muzaffarabad Division and 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees residing in Pakistan. Polling will continue until 5 pm.

Polling for the LA-27 constituency has been rescheduled until August 4 due to severe rain-related incidents in the area. Voting in the remaining constituencies is underway under tight security arrangements, with the armed forces’ Quick Response Force also on standby to ensure voter safety. LA-28, LA-29 and LA-31 constituencies in Muzaffarabad have been declared highly sensitive, where more than 4,000 security personnel have been deployed to ensure a peaceful election process through the day.

A total of 208 candidates are contesting nine seats in the Muzaffarabad Division, where 890,621 registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots. The division includes Muzaffarabad, Neelum and Jhelum Valley districts.

The Election Commission has established 1,483 polling stations and 2,219 polling booths across the division. Candidates from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party, Jamaat-e-Islami and independent groups are competing in what is expected to be a closely fought contest.

For the 12 refugee seats, 143 candidates are in the race, with 438,777 registered voters eligible to vote. A total of 1,057 polling stations have been set up across the four provinces for these constituencies.

Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan are voting for six Jammu seats and six Valley seats, covering constituencies from LA-34 Jammu-1 to LA-45 Valley-6.