Poonch | Pakistan

The PML-N appeared set to gain at least one seat in Poonch division, where four constituencies went to the polls on Monday amid allegations of rigging, violence and disruption, with polling suspended at some places. The biggest upset was the defeat of Muslim Conference president Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan in LA-14 (Dhirkot), a constituency from where he, and before him his uncle and father, had been elected in all nine elections since 1985. His defeat also appeared to underscore the political decline of what was once the largest and longest-ruling party in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), but was reduced to a marginal force following the emergence of the PML-N in 2010. Khan was defeated by Sajid Iqbal Abbasi, who contested his first election on the ticket of the little-known Awami Dast-o-Bazu Party, by a margin of more than 21,000 votes, according to unofficial and unverified results from 213 of the 214 polling stations. Observers attributed Abbasi’s victory largely to his hands-on efforts for the development of ...

• DC urges civil society, elected representatives to help reopen institution by tomorrow • Says nursing college registration also at risk due to protests in Rawalakot MUZAFFARABAD: A senior government official in the troubled Poonch district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has appealed to civil society, local elected representatives and other influential members of the community to help ensure the reopening of the area’s medical college before Aug 10, warning that continued closure could cost around 500 students an academic year and also jeopardise the registration of a proposed nursing college. In a press release, Poonch Deputy Commissioner Syed Mumtaz Kazmi said that the Poonch Medical College, Rawalakot, located a few hundred yards from the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee’s (JAAC) Eidgah sit-in, had been forced to suspend academic and administrative activities because the administration was unable to function amid the prevailing security situation. The organisers of the sit-in had established checkpo...

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission on Friday revised the schedule for the third phase of the 2026 general elections, postponing polling in Poonch and Sudhanoti districts due to the prevailing law and order situation.