KARACHI: Vote counting continued on Monday after polling ended in the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, with updated unofficial and unconfirmed results showing the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) maintaining a narrow lead over the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) across the 13 constituencies in Mirpur division.
Polling was held in 13 constituencies across the districts of Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber.
Voting began at 8am and was scheduled to end at 5pm but was extended until 6pm on the instructions of the Chief Election Commissioner due to an unusually high voter turnout.
READ MORE: First phase of AJK polls today
Voters already inside polling stations at the close of polling were allowed to cast their ballots before the counting process began.
More than 1.4 million registered voters were eligible to elect representatives in the first phase of the elections, including 725,118 men and 675,628 women.
A total of 2,454 polling stations were established across Mirpur division, including 597 in Mirpur’s four constituencies, 1,107 in Kotli’s six constituencies and 608 in Bhimber’s three constituencies.
A total of 296 candidates, representing the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and independent candidates, contested the 13 seats.
More than 19,000 security personnel, including Pakistan Army troops and police, were deployed across the region to ensure peaceful and transparent polling.
Election officials stressed that all results remain unofficial and unconfirmed until formally announced by the Election Commission.
Updated Mirpur results
The latest unofficial results from all polling stations in Mirpur district show the PPP and the PML-N splitting the district’s four seats.
In LA-1 Mirpur, PML-N candidate Azhar Sadiq won after results from all 139 polling stations, securing 12,298 votes. PPP candidate Chaudhry Afser Shahid finished second with 6,538 votes.
In LA-2 Mirpur-Chakswari, PPP candidate Qasim Majeed secured victory after results from all 149 polling stations, polling 12,904 votes, while PML-N candidate Azeem Bakhsh received 8,182 votes.
In LA-3 Mirpur, PPP candidate Yasir Sultan won after results from all 161 polling stations, securing 11,676 votes, defeating PML-N candidate Chaudhry Saeed, who polled 9,832 votes.
In LA-4 Mirpur, PML-N candidate Chaudhry Rukhsar emerged victorious after results from all 162 polling stations, securing 20,172 votes, while PPP candidate Sohaib Arshad received 13,865 votes.
PPP ahead in seven constituencies
With the updated Mirpur results, the PPP continues to lead in seven of the 13 constituencies.
Besides victories in LA-2 and LA-3, the party remains ahead in LA-8 Raj Mahal Kotli-1, where Malik Zafar Iqbal has secured 18,543 votes against PML-N candidate Malik Nawaz’s 11,093 votes.
In LA-10 Kotli-3, PPP candidate Chaudhry Yasin is leading with 6,999 votes, ahead of PML-N’s Fatih Mehmood, who has 3,560 votes.
In LA-12 Kotli-5, PPP candidate Chaudhry Yasin is ahead with 9,788 votes, compared with 6,788 votes for PML-N candidate Raja Riasat.
In LA-13 Kotli-6, PPP candidate Waleed Inqalabi is leading with 1,769 votes, while PML-N candidate Raja Ayaz Nisar has secured 1,323 votes.
PML-N leads in six constituencies
The PML-N is leading in the remaining six constituencies.
Along with victories in LA-1 and LA-4, the party is ahead in LA-5 Barnala, where Colonel Waqar Ahmad Noor has secured 19,032 votes, while PPP’s Chaudhry Pervez Ashraf has 15,493 votes.
In LA-6 Samahni, PML-N candidate Chaudhry Muhammad Razzaq is leading with 25,902 votes, ahead of IPP’s Chaudhry Ali Shan, who has 14,278 votes.
In LA-7 Bhimber, PML-N candidate Chaudhry Tariq Farooq remains ahead with 21,075 votes, while independent candidate Anwarul Haq has secured 14,228 votes.
In LA-9 Kotli-2, PML-N candidate Umair Naeem is leading with 23,568 votes, ahead of PPP’s Chaudhry Javed Iqbal, who has 15,039 votes.
In LA-11 Kotli-4, PML-N candidate Raja Asif remains ahead with 7,900 votes, while PPP candidate Chaudhry Muhammad Akhlaq has secured 4,074 votes.
Ballot box torched in Bhimber
Despite largely peaceful polling, violence erupted at the Baba Shadi Shaheed polling station in LA-6 Samahni Bhimber-2, where supporters of the PML-N and the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) clashed after an exchange of words escalated into a violent confrontation.
According to the Bhimber District Returning Officer (DRO), rioters snatched a ballot box and set it on fire during the disturbance. The destroyed ballot box contained 232 votes.
The DRO said polling remained normal at all other polling stations in the constituency and that a decision on re-polling at the affected station would be taken later.
Two presiding officers arrested
Election authorities also acted against alleged violations of the election code of conduct in Kotli, where two presiding officers were suspended and arrested after they reportedly took election material to a private residence instead of their assigned polling stations.
Officials immediately seized the election material and appointed replacement presiding officers to ensure voting continued without disruption.
A spokesperson said, “The authorities have suspended and arrested both presiding officers for violating the election code of conduct, and legal proceedings have been initiated against them under the relevant election laws.”
Officials vow strict action
Inspector General of Police AJK Liaquat Ali Malik said police would respond swiftly to any untoward incident, adding that no one, including political workers, would be allowed to take the law into their own hands.
Chief Secretary Azad Jammu and Kashmir Khushhal Khan said the people of AJK had demonstrated their confidence in the democratic process by rejecting disruptive elements. He said all state institutions were fully prepared to ensure peaceful elections and warned that anyone attempting to disrupt the electoral process or public order would face legal action.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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