General elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are being held today (Thursday) amid tight security arrangements under the Pakistan army.
As many as 423 candidates, from 44 political parties, are running for 41 directly contested seats in the 49-member AJK Legislative Assembly. Experts are anticipating a close competition during general elections in the AJK between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on 41 seats of the AJK Legislative Assembly
The contestants include four former prime ministers and over a dozen ministers of the state. Over 2.67 million people are registered to vote including 1.48 million men and 1.19 million women.
According to seats allocation, 12 are reserved for refugees from Indian-controlled Kashmir in Pakistan, two seats each are in Karachi and Rawalpindi, and one each in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat and Multan.
Approximately, 438,884 registered voters, among them 254,817 men and 184,067 women, will elect their representatives on these seats. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muslim Conference (MC), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) are the most notable among the 44 registered political parties in AJK.
Chief of the Election Commission in Azad Kashmir, Ghulam Mustafa Mughal said all political parties must refrain from violating law and order during the AJK Legislative Assembly polls.
Mughal added that foolproof security arrangements have been made for the polling day along with the Pakistan army.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), armed forces have been deployed in and outside of the stations during polls.
