AJK elections to be held in three phases starting July 27

Elections in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) region will now take place over three phases, with the final polling day set for August 10, the AJK Election Commission announced Tuesday. The original July 27 date has been adjusted.

Retired Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, the AJK Election Commissioner, cited the unavailability of security forces, who are engaged in ongoing operations in other provinces, as the reason for the phased election schedule. The first phase on July 27 will cover 13 constituencies in the Mirpur division. The second phase on August 2 will include nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad and all 12 refugee constituencies. The final phase on August 10 will cover 11 constituencies in the Poonch division.

Major political parties are intensifying their election campaigns. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have deployed top leadership to galvanize their supporters. The PPP has announced candidates for 35 of the 45 assembly seats, with decisions pending on eight constituencies and two seats allocated to its ally, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) (JUI-F).

Leading up to the elections, the proscribed Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has staged protests demanding the abolition of 12 seats reserved for refugees from India-held Kashmir who have settled in AJK. These protests and the administration's responses have led to violent confrontations in recent weeks.