Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the PML-N’s leadership and successful candidates on Monday, after unofficial results of the second phase of elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir showed the party had won 14 of 18 seats up for grabs the previous day.
The PML-N’s main rival in the contest and also its ally in the Centre, the PPP, has accused the PML-N of electoral malpractices, rigging, and violence during Sunday’s polls, just as it did during the first phase of the elections in Mirpur division on July 27. The PML-N secured nine of the 13 seats in the first phase, while the PPP won the remaining four.
Elections in AJK are being held in three phases over security concerns, with polling having been held on seven seats of Muzaffarabad division and 12 refugee seats—the reserved seats for refugees from Indian-occupied Kashmir—on Sunday. In the third phase, elections will be held in 11 constituencies of Poonch division.
A statement released by the PM’s Office on Monday said the premier congratulated PML-N’s leadership and successful candidates after their win in the second phase.
“The continuity of this success is a result of the hard work of PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and the entire PML-N team,” the statement quoted PM Shehbaz as saying.
According to the statement, the premier noted that Nawaz and the PML-N team had conducted a successful electoral campaign in AJK and the party’s success “reflects the confidence of the people of AJK in PML-N’s policies.”
He said the development and prosperity of AJK and the welfare of its people remained PML-N’s top priority.
PM Shehbaz added that political parties had actively participated in the second phase of the AJK elections, which he said would further strengthen the democratic process.