PPP is currently ahead in two constituencies while PML-N leads in one during the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections. An independent candidate has taken the fourth seat, according to unofficial results. Polling took place in four constituencies across Bagh and Haveli districts of the Poonch division.
In LA-15 Bagh-2, results from 203 of 213 polling stations show PPP candidate Zia Qamar with 16,696 votes. PML-N candidate Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas trails with 15,099 votes. In LA-16 Eastern Bagh, PML-N candidate Sardar Mir Akbar Khan holds the lead against PPP candidate Sardar Qamar Zaman Khan. This remains the only seat among the four where PML-N appears set to win.
A tight race continues in LA-17 Haveli-Kahuta, where sitting Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore of the PPP is ahead of PML-N candidate Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz. The biggest surprise came in LA-14 Western Bagh. Independent candidate Sardar Sajid Iqbal Abbasi of Awami Dast-o-Bazu defeated former prime minister and Muslim Conference president Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan in his home constituency. Unofficial figures show Sajid Iqbal leading with 40,702 votes against Attique Khan’s 19,542 votes.
Elections for five seats in Poonch district and two seats in Sudhnoti district stand postponed. Meanwhile, PML-N candidate Mohsin Aziz has demanded a recount in LA-17 Bagh-4. His request was rejected by the Returning Officer, prompting a sit-in by party workers outside the RO office. Aziz has vowed the protest will continue until a recount takes place.
The PPP has rejected the overall results, alleging widespread rigging, disruption of polling, and law-and-order problems. Party leaders called the process the darkest blot on Kashmir’s electoral history and demanded an impartial review by the Election Commission. Earlier phases saw PML-N dominate with 24 seats against the PPP’s 10. Senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah claimed the PPP is using a rigging narrative to hide its losses while noting that the allegations are less intense than before.
