Polling for AJK's Reserved Assembly Seats Underway Amid Controversy

Polling has commenced for seven reserved seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, with voting taking place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. This election is pivotal as it follows a turbulent electoral process that has drawn scrutiny from various political factions.

The AJK Legislative Assembly comprises 53 members, with 45 elected through direct votes and eight members selected by those elected. Among the reserved seats, five are allocated for women, while one each is set aside for Ulema-i-Din, subjects living abroad, and technocrats.

Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Arain from PML-N has been declared elected unopposed for the seat reserved for overseas state subjects after being the sole candidate. Meanwhile, the elections for seven directly elected seats were postponed due to security concerns, leading to 38 elected members participating in today's reserved seat elections.

Six candidates are vying for the five women’s seats, with representatives from both the PML-N and PPP. The candidates include Riffat Abid, Sehrish Qamar, Maryam Idrees, and Maryam Zaman from PML-N, alongside PPP's Farzana Yaqoob and Zobia Khurshid Raja. For the Ulema and Mashaikh seat, Hafiz Tariq Mahmood from PPP is set to compete against PML-N's Mohammad Mazhar Saeed.

As the assembly gears up for a session at 2 p.m. on Monday, the newly elected members will take their oaths from outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, who did not retain his seat. This session comes amid allegations from the PPP regarding electoral rigging, with Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari calling for a resolution of grievances with PML-N before any genuine alliance can form.

In prior elections, the PML-N secured 25 seats while the PPP obtained 12. Bilawal has criticized the electoral process as politically motivated, asserting that the federal government influenced the elections, raising doubts about their integrity.

Source: www.dawn.com