PPP Accuses AJK Election Commission of Enabling Poll Rigging
LAHORE: The Pakistan Peoples Party intensified its challenge to the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections on Wednesday, accusing the regional Election Commission of enabling organised manipulation in favour of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. The allegations were presented during a press conference in Lahore as tensions between the two governing coalition partners continued to rise.
Provisional results from Monday's voting showed the PML-N securing nine seats, placing it ahead of the PPP in the opening stage of the three-phase electoral process. The staggered schedule was introduced because of security concerns, with subsequent rounds expected to determine the final balance of power in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
PPP Central Punjab General Secretary Hassan Murtaza alleged that polling procedures were compromised in several constituencies where his party's candidates were competing. He claimed that around 30 polling stations in Charhoi were effectively taken over and that polling agents were prevented from jointly observing the process after voting officially ended.
Murtaza said similar irregularities were reported in constituencies associated with Javed Badhanvi, Chaudhry Ikhlaq and Chaudhry Pervaiz Ashraf. He also said PPP worker Mukhtar Younis was killed on polling day, presenting the incident as evidence of the tense and dangerous environment surrounding the vote.
The PPP leader further alleged that the phased election format had created opportunities for interference. He questioned the decision to extend voting by one hour and claimed the additional time was misused to benefit PML-N candidates. He also accused the AJK Election Commission of failing to respond effectively when the PPP raised concerns about alleged code-of-conduct violations and the use of state resources.
The latest accusations deepen an increasingly public dispute between the PPP and PML-N, which remain partners in the federal coalition. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had earlier urged the PPP to accept the outcome and acknowledge its defeat, while PPP leaders have maintained that the result does not reflect the genuine mandate of voters.
Murtaza also linked the election controversy with the broader unrest involving the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee. He said the PPP had previously supported negotiations and proposed a truth and reconciliation commission to address disputed claims, political grievances and the confrontation between regional authorities and protesters.
The JAAC-led agitation has centred on political and economic demands, including the proposed abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in Pakistan after 1947. The prolonged dispute has fuelled demonstrations and heightened security concerns, contributing to the decision to conduct the regional election in separate phases.
The controversy could place further strain on relations between the PPP and PML-N while weakening public confidence in the remaining stages of the election. Attention will now turn to whether the AJK Election Commission formally addresses the allegations, whether the PPP submits documented complaints and what safeguards are introduced before voters participate in the next phases.