AJK polls: Rathore’s LA-17 Haveli victory disputed, local PML-N announces indefinite strike

A controversy has erupted following the AJK polls, with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) disputing the declared victory of Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Faisal Mumtaz Rathore in the LA-17 Haveli constituency. Rathore, who is also the sitting prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), was declared the winner by the returning officer (RO) through Form 27.

PML-N candidate Engineer Mohsin Aziz alleges that the RO issued the form despite being aware of a pending complaint filed by Aziz. This development has intensified political tensions in the Haveli district. In response, PML-N workers have declared a complete shutter-down strike and announced protests commencing Thursday, demanding a thorough review of the election results.

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the form would not be issued until the Election Commission took up his complaint

The protesting PML-N members are calling for the Election Commission to open all ballot bags from LA-17, conduct a recount, and verify the results based on the initial tallies from presiding officers at polling stations. They have warned that the scope of their protest will widen if their demands are not met. Polling in the constituency had reportedly taken place amid serious security concerns on Monday.

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open all polling bags from LA-17, order a recount and determine the result on the basis of the original results issued by presiding officers at the polling stations