Mirpur | Pakistan

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari continued his tirade against the PML-N — an ally of his party in the Centre — on Wednesday, reiterating his allegations in the first phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections and demanding re-polling. Addressing a PPP workers’ convention in Muzaffarabad, he called on the Election Commission to hold re-polling in Mirpur if “you are not involved in this rigging”. Directly taking a jibe at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, he said: “If someone is sitting on the PM’s seat, or someone is sitting on the CM’s position today, even a child knows that it is not because of the people’s votes or your performance but because of Form-47.” Form-47 is the provisional consolidated statement of results of the vote count of all polling stations in a constituency, prepared by the returning officer (RO) concerned. The term has also been used mainly by the opposition PTI since the 2024 general elections in the country to allege rigging in the polls. Electio...

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari continued his tirade against the PML-N — an ally of his party in the Centre — on Wednesday, reiterating his allegations in the first phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections and demanding re-polling. Addressing a PPP workers’ convention in Muzaffarabad, he called on the Election Commission to hold re-polling in Mirpur if “you are not involved in this rigging”. Directly taking a jibe at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, he said: “If someone is sitting on the PM’s seat, or someone is sitting on the CM’s position today, even a child knows that it is not because of the people’s votes or your performance but because of Form-47.” Form-47 is the provisional consolidated statement of results of vote count of all polling stations in a constituency, prepared by the returning officer (RO) concerned. It has been used mainly by the opposition PTI since the 2024 general elections in the country to refer to alleged rigging in the polls. Bilawal’s al...

PML-N outpaces PPP in Mirpur elections

The PML-N grabbed nine out of the 13 constituencies of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Mirpur division in yesterday’s elections, preliminary results issued by the Election Commission showed on Tuesday. Polls in AJK are being held in three phases over security concerns, with the first set of polls held in Mirpur division on Monday. Scuffles, violence and allegations of rigging had marred the polling process, with the PML-N and PPP accusing each other of electoral malpractice. According to preliminary results issued by the AJK Election Commission (Forms-26 and Forms-27), the PML-N emerged as the winner in nine constituencies, while the PPP could secure only four seats. Form-27 lists cumulative results based on votes cast on the polling day and by the election staff in advance polling. Form-26 comprises only the ballots cast on the main polling day, July 27, in this case. Results breakdown Following an intense election campaign by both parties in the lead-up to the polls, the PML-N emerged victorious in Mirpur di...

PPP wins the remaining four seats in the division, which comprises the districts of Mirpur, Kotli and Chaksawari

• One seat still contested; unofficial results show PML-N on top in seven constituencies; PPP ahead in five • One killed, two injured in Nakyal violence • PPP alleges ‘rigging, ballot stuffing’ by ‘N’ candidates in Kotli • TTAP says electoral process failed to inspire ‘public confidence’ • PTI insists ‘minimal’ voter turnout reflects ‘discontent’ MIRPUR: Scuffles, violence and allegations of rigging marred the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections on Monday, as polling concluded in the 13 constituencies of Mirpur division with the PML-N seemingly in command, taking the lead on seven seats against the PPP’s five. According to unofficial and unverified results available at the time of going to press, the PML-N appeared to have swept all three seats in Bhimber district, claimed two out of four constituencies in Mirpur district and three out of six in Kotli district. At a late-night presser, Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal announced the official result for LA-1 (Mirpur-I). Th...

Scuffles and rigging allegations marred the first phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections as polling concluded in the 13 constituencies of Mirpur division on Monday. Polling began at 8am and concluded at 6pm across all three districts — Bhimber, Mirpur, and Kotli — of the division after a one-hour extension. While minor skirmishes and scuffles between PPP and PML-N workers in Kotli district were reported earlier in the day, the electoral process took a violent turn in the afternoon in LA-9 Kotli-II (Nakyal). In a statement on X, the PPP claimed that party worker Mukhtar Younus “died during incidents of display of arms and public harassment by PML-N candidate Sardar Umair Naeem”. Mirpur Commissioner Raja Tahir Mumtaz confirmed that a man was killed and two others, including the deceased’s father, were injured in an incident. On the other hand, the PML-N claimed that Younus had been involved in its election campaign activities. PPP AJK Election Cell Incharge Sardar Abdul Shakoor demanded that all those ...

The first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections have begun in the 13 constituencies of Mirpur division. Polling began at 8am and will continue till 5pm. Today (Monday) has been declared a public holiday in all three districts — Bhimber, Mirpur, and Kotli — of the division to facilitate polling. A total of 288 candidates are contesting today’s election. According to the Election Commission, polling will be held at 2,316 polling stations, of which 1,241 have been declared ‘highly sensitive’ and 724 ‘sensitive’. Election monitoring has been organised through 13 zones and 205 sectors across the division, while 18,560 personnel from police and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed under a three-tier security plan. Under the arrangement, police will provide the first layer of security, Pakistan Rangers (Punjab), Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) and the Federal Constabulary the second, and the Pakistan Army the third. Around 2,100 army personnel will also be deployed, while Quick Response Force tea...

Mobile phone and internet services have started to resume in Mirpur and nearby areas of Azad Kashmir after a 45-day disruption, offering relief to residents and businesses affected by the prolonged outage.

MIRPUR (AJK) - President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry was laid to rest in his native town of Chachiyaan in Mirpur district of AJK Sunday evening in presence of thousands of mourners.