PML-N Wins Majority in Disputed AJK Assembly Elections

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) claimed a simple majority to form the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) after securing 23 of 45 total seats. Following the second phase of elections on August 2, 2026, PML-N leaders reported winning 13 of 20 contested seats in the Muzaffarabad Division and refugee constituencies. Prime Minister's Adviser Rana Sanaullah dismissed allegations of electoral fraud as political mudslinging, while other party leaders attributed their victory to a strong development agenda.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a federal coalition partner of the PML-N, rejected the results, securing only nine seats. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari described the process as bullet and murderous elections, alleging systemic rigging, ballot stuffing, and the unauthorized distribution of ballot papers. The friction between the partners escalated as Bhutto Zardari warned that the countdown for the federal government has begun. The PPP has planned a public rally in Bagh for August 10 to challenge the results.

Concurrent with the political dispute, severe unrest gripped the region. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) PoJK called for a complete boycott of the polls, labeling them a mockery. Meanwhile, the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) coordinated sit-ins in Rawalakot and Dreak to demand affordable electricity and flour. These protests faced a brutal crackdown by security forces, with JAAC member Sardar Umar Nazir Kashmiri reporting over 50 deaths and hundreds of injuries over a four-day period. The government subsequently banned the JAAC, labeling the group as foreign-funded terrorists.