Preliminary results from the first phase of elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have triggered sharp exchanges between Pakistan’s federal government coalition partners, the Pakistan Peoples Party and major ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
The vote, held Monday in Mirpur division of AJK amid security concerns, saw the PML-N secure nine of 13 constituencies, according to figures released by the Election Commission.
Scuffles, violence, and mutual accusations of malpractice marred the polling, with both parties trading charges of electoral wrongdoing.
The remaining phases of the AJK polls are scheduled over the coming days.
On Tuesday leaders of PPP including Chairman of the Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his aide Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and PML-N leaders including Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and the party’s Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal hurled allegations of foul play and undemocratic behavior against each other.
Incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI party has largely stayed away from elections.
Bilawal Accuses PML of Duplicity
Chairman of the coalition Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari questioned whether national and Kashmiri interests take precedence over the PML-N’s personal ones. He alleged that the PML-N consistently prioritizes power and private interests over the national good.
On former prime minister and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s “Kashmir hai, Kashmore nahi” slogan, Bilawal said the PML-N sows distrust between provinces and regions.
Mirpur walo, mujhe aap ki madad chahiye.
27 July ko teer par mohar lagayen aur PPP ko bhaari mandate dein, taa-ke hum riyasat aur ihtijaj karne walon, dono se keh saken:
Sach aur Mafahamat Commision sirf Bilawal Bhutto Zardari ka mutalba nahin. Yeh Mirpur aur Kashmir ke awam ka… pic.twitter.com/17ZVbPd406
— Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (@BBhuttoZardari) July 26, 2026
Kashmiris know well, he added, who has been the true protector of Kashmir since the eras of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.
Criticizing the hospitals and motorways pledges, Bilawal asked why the PML-N feels the pain of Kashmir’s people only during election days.
Accusations of Violence
Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon responded to Maryam’s remarks by accusing the PML-N of stealing the people’s mandate through rigged elections. He said weapons were used openly and that a PPP worker was martyred—an incident the Punjab chief minister should have condemned rather than responding with arrogance.
Sharjeel claimed the PML-N itself governs Punjab on a “fake mandate” and seeks the same in AJK.
“You are sitting in your position due to a fake mandate,” he told Maryam. He argued that voters reward performance, which is why the PPP’s base has grown with every election.
The AJK situation is a top example of mishandling and mismanagement. The PPP-N fighting it out politically is a sad side show at best and at worst a stupid attempt to create temporary distraction from the real issue. Media and information blackout has compounded the crisis. Never…
— Syed Talat Hussain (@TalatHussain12) July 28, 2026
Comparing the PML-N to a tenant that imagines itself the landowner, he said the PPP leadership has made sacrifices for the nation while the PML-N’s leaders signed deals to leave the country in difficult times.
Sharjeel added that the PML-N “did not even remember Kashmir until three days before the polls.” The PPP, he said, is acting responsibly to maintain peace, whereas the other side is willing to do whatever it takes to win, including sacrificing lives or stealing the mandate.
Amnesty International Voices Concern over Use of Force
Violence erupted in Rawalakot on July 27, on the eve of election. As per reports a clash in Kotli claimed the life of a political worker during an exchange between rival party factions.
The Joint Action Committee (JAAC) has alleged that security forces fired on protesters, killing 19 and wounding many more. Violence broke out on June 7, 2026, as JAAC activists protested against the long-running quota of 12 Pakistan-based assembly seats. The JAAC argues that 12 Jammu and Kashmiri-origin members from different parts of Pakistan influence decisions affecting AJK residents. Since then there have been reports of violence and violent crackdown as well as casualties.
The disturbing reports emerging from Rawalakot are consistent with the Pakistani authorities’ long history of unlawful violence against protesters in Jammu and Kashmir.
We urge the Pakistani authorities to restore all communications access and allow media and independent…
— Amnesty International USA (@amnestyusa) July 28, 2026
Media reports confirm casualties but have not specified numbers, while police have acknowledged injuries to two of their own personnel. Internet services in the region have been offline since early June.
Islamabad has not provided any latest update on the situation.
However, in recent days Pakistani and local Jammu and Kashmir officials have contested casualty reports, and accused protestors of engaging in inflammatory rhetoric at the behest of foreign countries including India.
Nawaz Sharif’s Campaign Pitch and Development Promises
One of the surprises during the election campaign has been reappearance of former three time prime minister Nawaz Sharif of PML-N party. Addressing an electoral rally in Kashmir, According to Dawn, Nawaz Sharif drew a pointed distinction between the region and areas associated with the PPP’s strongholds.
“Yeh Kashmir hai, Kashmore nahi, aur yeh Mirpur hai, Mirpurkhas nahi,” he said. He questioned the PPP’s governance record in Sindh and argued that Kashmir’s people are discerning enough not to accept similar outcomes. Nawaz asked voters which party besides the PML-N had delivered practical development work in AJK.
میر پور ڈویژن کے انتخابات میں شاندار کامیابی پر مسلم لیگ ن کی تنظیم، کارکنان، امیدواران، کوآرڈینیٹرز مبارکباد کے مستحق ہیں۔ مسلم لیگ ن کی یہ کامیابی عوام کے اعتماد کا ثبوت ہے۔
میں میرپور کے بہادر عوام کا دل سے شکریہ ادا کرتا ہوں جنہوں نے ترقی، خوشحالی اور خدمت کے ایجنڈے پر مہر…
— Nawaz Sharif (@NawazSharifMNS) July 28, 2026
He outlined a manifesto for the territory modeled on Punjab’s progress. The pledges included establishing cancer and heart hospitals, constructing an expressway and motorways from Murree to Muzaffarabad, introducing electric buses and mobile hospitals for Mirpur, and pressing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for an international airport in the city.
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz Wades into Controversy
According to Express Tribune, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz congratulated the PML-N on its first-phase success and urged the PPP to accept the outcome.
“Agar awam ne apko vote nahi diya tou uski wajah talash karein, Sindh ki roads better karein, safai ka nizaam behtar karein, Aman o amaan behtar karein,” she said speaking in Urdu langauge.
“Even those who come from Karachi say the same thing — we also want facilities like those in Punjab. The public makes its decision after looking at performance.”
She noted that the PPP contested the AJK election while holding the local government, administration, and prime minister’s office. “Then who are you blaming for the rigging? The public looked at the performance and made its decision. People vote for those who work, not for those who cry.”
آپ کے پاس کارکردگی ہوتی، گورننس ہوتی، عوام کے لیے ایجنڈا ہوتا تو دوسروں پر حملوں میں وقت ضائع نہ کرتے۔ سندھ میں 17 سال حکومت کے باوجود بتانے کو کچھ نہیں تھا۔ اے جے کے کے عوام نے گرین بس، اپنی چھت اپنا گھر، اپنا کھیت اپنا روزگار، کسان کارڈ، پکی سڑکوں اور امن و امان کو ووٹ دیا۔ اب… pic.twitter.com/qJf2lzhcTS
— PMLN (@pmln_org) July 28, 2026
In a longer televised statement, Maryam addressed Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari directly. She pointed out that Sindh is the only province where a single party—the PPP—has governed continuously for nearly 17 years, yet still lacks visible performance or projects to show the public. Responding to Bilawal’s claim that “the state has made a decision that Muslim League N Wins,” she said: “The state does not decide the election. The people decide the election. And wherever the people decided in your favor… In the GB elections where you won, there was no rigging, but in the AJK election where you lost badly, you alleged rigging.”
She further accused the PPP of shifting blame onto the federal government and the PML-N during the past year while the party itself held power in AJK, only to cry foul about rigging once results disappointed.
PML-N Minister Labels Allegations ‘Undemocratic’*
According to Geo News, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, speaking alongside Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, called on Bilawal to avoid “immature statements” and described the rigging charges as undemocratic. He contrasted PPP governance in Sindh with the PML-N’s record in Punjab. “Everyone faced the same question: whether they wanted to turn AJK into ruins, as PPP did with Karachi, or make it as developed as Lahore,” Iqbal said.
He noted that no rigging complaints had been raised until results emerged after 6 p.m. Iqbal recalled that when the PPP won in Gilgit-Baltistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the party and invited it to form the government. He urged Bilawal to congratulate the PML-N rather than level accusations, calling the statements reflective of an undemocratic mindset.
Asim Tanveer is a seasoned journalist working for TV and electronic and print media outlets. He has been working for some of the world’s leading news organizations including Associated Press (AP), Reuters, BBC, CNN, CNBC, Star TV, Voice of America and The New York Times for more than 30 years. He has won several awards for his live coverage of events that include a Reuters News Agency World Award and the Pride of Performance award in 1997.
