PML-N, PPP trade rigging allegations after first phase of AJK polls

WEB DESK: A political row between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has intensified after the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, with both parties accusing each other over the conduct and outcome of the polls.

Leaders from the two parties held separate press conferences on Wednesday, defending their positions and challenging each other’s claims. Former prime minister and senior PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf alleged that his party had been denied a fair mandate and claimed that the PPP had video evidence of irregularities during polling.

“The PPP candidates had requested the Chief Election Commissioner to withhold the results and investigate the complaints,” Ashraf said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

He alleged that ballot papers were burned in some areas and PPP workers were forcibly removed from polling stations. Ashraf said videos of the alleged incidents were available, but could not be shown during the press conference due to a technical fault with the projector.

The PPP leader also questioned the high voter turnout in several constituencies, including LA-12 and LA-5, saying a large number of registered voters were living abroad. He said turnout figures ranging from 88 per cent to 94 per cent, along with reports that some polling stations recorded no rejected votes, had raised serious questions.

“We are not asking for the entire election to be reopened,” he said, adding that only constituencies where complaints had surfaced should be reviewed.

Ashraf said the Chief Election Commissioner was already examining hundreds of election-related petitions. He warned that any delay in resolving the complaints could damage public trust in the electoral process, adding that the PPP would use all democratic and legal options if it believed injustice had been done.

Responding to the allegations, Punjab Information Minister Uzma Bukhari rejected the PPP’s claims and said political parties must learn to accept the public’s verdict.

“Democracy requires that the mandate of the people be respected,” Bukhari said during a press conference in Lahore.

She said the PPP appeared disappointed by the results and maintained that the people of AJK had expressed confidence in the leadership of the PML-N and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

Bukhari argued that PPP representatives had also received development funds but failed to satisfy voters through their performance. She pointed to the Punjab government’s projects, including the Green Bus Service, road infrastructure, education reforms and laptop distribution, as examples of what she called visible governance.

“The PPP should also explain what it has delivered in Sindh over the past 18 years,” she said.

The Punjab minister further said Maryam Nawaz had refrained from using offensive language during the election campaign, while criticising PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s speeches. She also invited the PPP leadership to visit Punjab and see the provincial government’s development work.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon also entered the debate, questioning the credibility of the AJK elections and accusing the PML-N of following the same pattern of alleged irregularities witnessed during the 2024 general elections.

Memon claimed that voter turnout in some constituencies of Mirpur Division had reached unusually high levels. He alleged that turnout in some areas touched 99 per cent, while one constituency recorded 110 per cent voting.

“These figures must be investigated,” Memon said, demanding that the results of three constituencies, including that of Chaudhry Yasin, be reopened and reviewed.

Memon said the PPP believed in democracy, parliament and constitutional continuity, but accused the PML-N of being unable to tolerate criticism. He also criticised the Punjab government over incidents involving journalists and said media professionals should be allowed to perform their duties freely.

The exchange has deepened political tensions after the first phase of the AJK elections, with the PPP demanding scrutiny of disputed constituencies and the PML-N insisting that the results reflect the public’s mandate.