Election Commission Announces Revised AJK Election Third Phase Schedule

MUZAFFARABAD – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – The AJK election third phase schedule has been officially updated by the Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. This change came on Friday, and it affects thousands of voters across the Poonch division.

Under the earlier plan, eleven seats spread across four districts were supposed to go to the polls on August 10. That plan has now been changed.

The election commissioner confirmed that voting in Poonch and Sudhanoti districts will not take place as originally planned. Instead, the third phase will now cover only Bagh and Haveli districts.

No new date has been shared yet for Poonch and Sudhanoti. Voters in these two districts will need to wait for further updates from the commission.

This is not the first time schedule changes have happened during these elections. The AJK polls have been rolled out in phases, with each stage covering different regions.

The first phase already took place on July 27, covering the Mirpur division. The second phase followed on August 2, focusing on Muzaffarabad division seats.

Both of these earlier phases brought strong results for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Party leaders now believe they have enough support to form the next AJK government.

Rana Sanaullah, who serves as the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs, said his party had already crossed the halfway mark needed for a majority.

In the second phase alone, PML-N managed to win fifteen out of twenty-one seats that were up for grabs. The Pakistan Peoples Party picked up six seats in that same round.

The first phase told a similar story. PML-N took nine seats, while PPP secured four, based on early and unconfirmed results shared by local media.

However, not everyone is satisfied with how these elections have gone. The PPP has raised serious concerns about the fairness of the voting process.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who leads the PPP, did not hold back his criticism. He claimed the ruling setup’s time was running out after his party’s weaker showing.

In a video message shared on August 3, he called the elections unfair and troubling. He used strong words, describing them as violent and dishonest in nature.

PML-N has firmly denied these claims. Rana Sanaullah asked the PPP to bring solid proof to the election commission instead of just making public statements.

He further argued that the PPP had been pushing a rigging story from the very start of the election process, well before any results were even announced.

As things stand, all eyes are now on Bagh and Haveli, where voters will head to the polls on August 10 under the revised schedule.

Meanwhile, people in Poonch and Sudhanoti will have to stay patient a little longer until fresh polling dates are announced by officials.