National News

MUZAFFARABAD, (APP): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has
swept the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections by
bagging 31 seats, coming into opposition to form its government in
Muzaffarabad without any other party’s help.
The polling was held in all 41 constituencies, including 29 of
AJK and 12 reserved for Pakistan-based Jammu and Kashmir refugees.
According to unofficial results announced by AJK Election
Commission here, PML-N has emerged as single largest party by
winning 31 seats, the ruling PPP and AJK MC managed to secure three
seats each, PTI could get only two seats and one by Jammu Kashmir
Peoples Party and an independent Candidate.
PTI AJK chief Barrister Sultan Mehmood and almost 20 of PPP
ministers lost their seats in Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Rawalakot, Kotli
and Mirpur and Bhimber districts. They included Bazil Naqvi,
Chaudhry Rasheed, Mian Waheed, Lateef Akbar, Qamar Zaman, Farzana
Yaqub, Javed Budhanvi, Matloob Inqalabi, Afsar Shahid, Pervaiz
Ashraf, Azhar Gillani and Javed Ayub.
Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, Chief of Muslim
Conference and former AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan
managed to save their seats.
PML-N AJK chief and opposition leader Raja Farooq Hadier,
Secretary General Shah Ghulam Qadir, and Jammu and Kashmir People’s
Party Chief Khalid Ibrahim have won the polls.
The constitutional term of incumbent AJK Legislative Assembly
was being expired on July 24, 2016. Under Interim Act 1974, the
interim constitution of AJK, it is mandatory to hold elections 60
days before the last date.
The polling were held on direct adult-franchise basis to 41
seats of the 49-member AJK Legislative Assembly including 29 meant
for all 10 districts of AJK and 12 including six
each meant for Pakistan-based refugees from Kashmir valley and Jammu
& others.
Rest of eight reserved seats including five meant for women
and one each for technocrats, ulema / Mashaikh and overseas
Kashmiris will be filled in lateron by the electoral college
comprising above 41 members of the house to be elected on direct
adult franchise basis.
A total of 423 candidates, including those belonging to
various political parties and independents, were in the arena for 41
seats.
According to the final list released by the AJK Election
Commission a total of 26,74,586 eligible registered voters.
5,429 polling stations comprising 8,008 booths in all 41
constituencies including 29 in AJK and 12 of Pakistan-based Jammu &
Kashmir to exercise their right of vote.
The number of polling station in 29 AJK electoral
constituencies is 4,462 comprising a total of 6,270 polling booths.
The AJK Election Commission had set up control room to receive
the elections results from all the concerned District Returning
Officers soon after the polling.
Polling was started at 8.00 in the morning and will continue
till 5.00 p.m without any pause.
Over 30,000 Pak Army troops were deployed in 41 electoral
constituencies of AJK legislative assembly to assist the
civil administration for maintaining complete peaceful environment
to ensure existence of complete law and order during holding of the
polls in absolutely free, fair and impartial atmosphere.
The constituencies and winning candidates included
LA-1 Mirpur 1 Chaudhry Masood Khalid (PML-N), LA-2 Chaudhry Abdul
Majeed (PPP), LA-3 Mirpur 3 Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed (PML-N), LA-4
Mirpur (4) Rukhsar Ahmed (PML-N), LA-5 Bhimbar 1,Waqar Ahmed Noor
(PML-N), LA-6 Bhimber (2) Ch Ali Shan (Independent), LA-7 Bhimbar 3,
Chaudhry Tariq Farooq (PML-N), LA-8 Kotli (1) Malik Muhammad Nawaz
Khan (MC), LA-9 Kotli-2 Farooq Sikandar Khan (PML-N), LA-10 Kotli
(3) Raja Muhammad Naseer (PML-N), LA-11 (Kotli-4) Chaudhry Muhammad
Yasin (PPP), LA-12 (Kotli-5), LA-13 (Bagh-1) Sardar Ateeq Ahmed Khan
(MC), LA-14 Bagh (2) Muhammad Mushtaq Minhas (PML-N), LA-15 Bagh (3)
Sardar Mir Akbar Khan (PML-N), LA-16 Bagh (4) Chaudhry Muhamamd
Aziz (PML-N), LA-17 (Poonch and (Sundhnoti-1) Chaudhry Muhammad
Yasin Gulshan (PML-N), LA-18 (Poonch and Sundhnoti-2) Sardar Khan
Bahadur Khan (PML-N), LA-19 (Poonch and Sundhnoti-3) Khalid Ibrahim
Khan (JK,PPP), LA-20 (Poonch and Sundhnoti-4 Muhammad Sagheer Khan
(MC), LA-21 (Poonch and Sundhnoti-5) Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan,
(PML-N), LA-22 (Poonch and Sundhnoti-6) Farooq Ahmed Tahir (PML-N),
LA-23 (Neelum-1) Shah Ghulam Qadir (PML-N), LA-24 (Muzaffarabad-1)
Noreen Arif (PML-N), LA-25 (Muzaffarabad-2) Chaudhry Shahzad Mehmood
(PML-N),LA-26 Muzaffarabad-3, Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani (PML-N), LA-
27 Raja Muhammad Abdul Qayyum Khan (PML-N), LA-28 Muzaffarabad-5
Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan (PML-N), LA-29 Muzaffarabad-6,
Mustafa Bashir (PML-N), LA-30 Jammu and others-1, Nasir Hussain Dar
(PMl-N), LA-31 (Jammu and others-2 Chaudhry Muhammad Ismaeel (PML-N)
, LA 32 Jammu and Other -3, Muhammad Ishaq (PML-N), LA-33 (Jammu and
others-4), Mian Muhammad Yasir Rashid (PML-N), LA-34 (Jammu and
others-5) Ch Javed Akhtar (PML-N),LA-35 Jammu and Others-6 Raja
Muhammad Siddique PML-N, La-36 (Kashmir Valley-1) Amir Abdul Ghaffar
(PPP), LA-37 (Kashmir Valley-2), Ghulam Mohy-ud-din Deewan (PTI),
LA-38 (Kashmir Valley-(3) Syed Shaukat Ali Shah (PML-N), LA-39
Kashmir Valley (4) Asad Aleem Shah (PML-N), LA 40 (Kashmir Valley 5)
Muhammad Ahmed Raza Qadri (PML-N) and LA-41 (Kashmir Valley-6) Abdul
Majeed Khan (PTI).