PML-N Claims Lead as AJK Election Process Ends
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has emerged as the leading party in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after the 2026 election process concluded on Saturday with results from the two remaining Bagh constituencies. The final phase brought clarity to the post-election picture, giving the PML-N 25 seats and placing it in a strong position to form the next AJK government.
The last round of polling was completed after re-polling at 23 polling stations in LA-15 Bagh-II and LA-16 Bagh-III. The results gave one seat each to the Pakistan Peoples Party and the PML-N, ending a phased election process that had remained politically charged because of close contests, delayed results and competing claims from major parties.
With the Bagh results added, the PML-N now stands as the largest parliamentary force in the assembly, while the PPP has secured 12 seats and is expected to occupy the main opposition space. The result is politically significant because it gives the PML-N a clear advantage before the next stage of government formation and allocation of reserved seats.
According to the reported constituency results, PPP candidate Sardar Zia-ul-Qamar defeated PML-N’s Mushtaq Minhas in LA-15 Central Bagh after re-polling at nine polling stations. In LA-16 Eastern Bagh, PML-N candidate Sardar Mir Akbar Khan defeated PPP’s Sardar Qamar-uz-Zaman, allowing the ruling party to close the election process with another important victory.
The numbers show that the final Bagh contests did not change the overall direction of the election, but they helped complete the assembly’s directly elected composition. The PML-N’s lead is expected to expand further if it receives additional reserved seats for women and special categories, including Ulema-o-Mashaikh, overseas Kashmiris and technocrats.
The 2026 AJK elections were held in three phases, with the PML-N maintaining an advantage across most directly contested constituencies. The PPP, despite trailing the PML-N in total seats, retained a substantial presence and is likely to remain the principal challenger inside the assembly, especially on governance, regional development and election-related concerns.
The election outcome follows a tense political atmosphere in which party leaders exchanged sharp statements over campaign conduct and the credibility of the process. Earlier disputes between the PML-N and PPP had raised questions about how smoothly the post-election transition would proceed, particularly because both parties remain important actors in Pakistan’s broader political landscape.
For AJK, the new assembly will face immediate expectations around roads, healthcare, employment, education, tourism and administrative service delivery. Voters in the region are likely to judge the incoming government not only by its parliamentary strength but by whether it can convert that mandate into visible development and better public services.
The next step will be the formal process of government formation, including consultations over the leader of the house and the distribution of reserved seats. If the PML-N consolidates its majority as expected, attention will quickly shift from election results to cabinet formation, policy priorities and how the opposition responds inside the new assembly.