A total of 45 seats were up for grabs; the PTI is in top spot with 25 seats; the PPP has 11 and the PML-N 6, according to...
The PTI has emerged victorious in the elections to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, winning by a simple majority, according to unofficial, preliminary results. The party will consequently form a government in the region.
Although results of one constituency is pending, unofficial results showed PTI in the lead with 25 seats, PPP in second place with 11 and PML-N in third place with six seats.
Both the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Party (JKPP) and the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (AJKMC) have also won one seat each.
Celebrations broke out "all over Kashmir" after PTI was declared the winner across the majority of seats.
Follow our complete coverage of the AJK election here.
To see latest results go here.
The results of LA-16 have been withheld, according to the Election Commission secretary. The ballot papers were lost in a clash at two polling stations, said Muhammad Ghazanfar Khan. He said polling could not be held at two more polling stations due to the dispute. Re-polling at four polling stations of LA-16 will be decided today, he said.
PML-N's Raja Farooq Haider has won the LA-32 Muzaffarabad seat, defeating PPP's Sahibzada Muhammad Ishfaq Azhar.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill has responded to Maryam's tweet in which she said she does not accept the election results, by saying: "You accepting or not accepting the results makes no difference."
"You also did not accept ownership of any property. Then you had to. Now you will have no choice but to accept this too, Begum Safdar sahiba," Gill added.
PPP has claimed it is in the lead on 15 seats and is in second place on 7-8 others, Geo News correspondent Shahzad Iqbal reports.
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has tweeted that she has not accepted the results and will never accept them. "I did not accept the 2018 results either or acknowledge this fake government," she added.
She lauded the party workers and voters.
"What response we will come up with for these shameless rigging, is a matter that the party will decide soon, InshaAllah."
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has attempted to show what her party has termed as "rigging" the elections after "stopping" the results for a while.
She retweeted an image that alleges a difference in votes of the PML-N candidate before and after results were "stopped".
The PML-N candidate in the comparison is shown to have 14,016 votes versus a PTI candidate having 13,355 before the results were "stopped".
Later, the PML-N candidate is shown to have lost to PTI after getting 20,467 votes as opposed to PTI's 22,096.
Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry has responded to PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz's tweet asking the government to "have shame" after Ata Tarar was arrested.
"Ata Tarar attacked police. Tell him he does not need to act like Mac Mohan all the time. I hope he will come out a good boy after three years in jail," he said.
Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, responding to "Dr sahab" Musadik Malik of the PML-N has said that the party has been "white washed" by the PTI.
"Dr sahab, if you take a look at the results, rigging takes place where there is some sort of competition. You have been completely white washed.
"What gain would we have from stopping results in such a scenario?" he asked.
Chaudhry said that the Opposition leadership is currently in the hands of "incompetent children" whose only experience is "partying with daddy's money".
"Running a party is beyond their skill set," he added.
Malik had tweeted: "Keeping in tradition, the election results in AJK have been stopped for over an hour now. Not a good omen!"
PTI has bagged 13 wins, according to unofficial, preliminary results.
PPP and PML-N have 2 each, while the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Party (JKPP) has secured one seat.
PTI is in the lead with 10 seats, whereas PML-N and PPP have one each.
See live results here.
PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif has "strongly condemned" the arrest of party member Ataullah Tarar.
"Shameful that this regime has stooped so low as to use police and district administration to target their political opponents," he wrote.
PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that party member Ataullah Tarar has been arrested from Gujranwala's Ali Pur Chatha.
"PML-N leaders, workers cannot be intimidated by fascism," said Aurangzeb in a statement.
She demanded that Tarar and other party workers arrested be released immediately.
"The arrest of Ataullah Tarar is a proof of the Imran government's great confusion," she said.
Aurangzeb claimed that PML-N workers were arrested in Ali Pur Chatha "for putting up a resistance against vote thieves".
The PML-N spokesperson told Geo News that Tarar had been protesting since evening against the arrest of fellow party workers.
Earlier, police had said that a case has been registered against Ata Tarar at the Ali Pur Chatha police station "for protesting".
The arrested party workers has been charged with "attacking police stations, tearing uniforms of police personnel and making threats".
The case names 9 party workers and includes 10 other unnamed suspects.
After PML-N decried results being "stopped", PPP's Sherry Rehman has also claimed there is an attempt to stop them.
"PPP is winning from every constituency" but the PTI is attempting to stop the results," she said.
She warned the PTI to "cease and desist or else the people of Kashmir will condemn Imran Khan and he will forever remain fearful".
Rehman said that the same attempts of "rigging" are being made as were seen in the 2018 elections.
"Rigging is the PTI's mission. Imran Khan wishes to steal every election and rob the people of their mandate," she said.
PTI candidate Abdul Majid Khan has won from two polling stations in Abbottabad for the constituency LA-45 Wadi 6, according to unofficial results.
One polling station each for men and women was established in Abbottabad. Polling remained very peaceful, starting at 8am and concluding at 5pm without any break.
According to the unofficial results of polling stations No 4 and 5 Abbottabad, the PTI nominee secured 409 votes while independent candidate Abdul Nasser Khan got 239 votes and Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Noor Al Bari got only 27 votes.
PTI workers led by Khawaja Zahid and Sajjad Mir organised a rally after winning from the two polling stations.
Abdul Majid Khan had also won the last elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir from the same constituency.
Secretary Election Commission (EC) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Muhammad Ghazanfar Khan has said the General Elections 2021 were held in free, fair and transparent manner, and rejected the rigging allegations from some quarters.
“No complaint has been received from any part of the state in this regard,” he said.
“No one without original National Computerised Identity Card (CNIC) had been allowed to cast vote,” he also said, to APP in an exclusive interview.
He said the EC looked into some complaints on its own and found no truth in them after complete verification. “Alhamdulillah!, the election process was generally peaceful.”
The secretary said that voters inside the polling stations were allowed to cast their votes even after ending of the announced closing time 15 pm.
He disagreed that polling was not allowed in some constituencies due to law and order situation. “We have not received any report regarding the closing of polling at any polling station before the scheduled time."
He expressed satisfaction over the law and order, and appreciated the performance of police and Pakistan army for ensuring peaceful conduct of the elections.
AJK PM Raja Farooq Haider has tweeted saying: "I can't understand why results are not coming."
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has tweeted saying results have "stopped".
Unofficial, preliminary results from the LA-44 Kashmir Valley V constituency show that PML-N's Muhammad Ahmed Raza Qadri has won with 2,007 votes.
All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference's came in second place with 1,163 votes.
Unofficial, preliminary results from the LA-43 Kashmir Valley IV constituency show that PTI's Javaid Butt has won with 774 votes.
PML-N's Naseema Khatoon came in second place with 720 votes.
Unofficial results, preliminary results show PTI's Chaudhry Arshad Hussain in the lead with 1,481 votes.
PML-N's Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed is in second place with 1,338 votes.
Unofficial results, preliminary results show PTI's Chaudhry Riaz Ahmed is in the lead with 1,352.
PML-N's Nasir Hussain Dar is in second place with 964 votes.
Unofficial results, preliminary results show PTI's Nazia Niaz is in the lead with 268 votes.
PML-N's Raja Muhammad Siddique is in second place with 191 votes.
Unofficial results, preliminary results show PTI's Ghulam Mohiuddin has obtained 205 votes, whereas PML-N's Ikram Butt has received 83 votes so far.
Unofficial results, preliminary results show Riaz Ahmed of PTI has obtained 231 votes, whereas PML-N's Zahid Iqbal has received 26 votes so far.
Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry has claimed an early victory for PTI in the Pindadan Khan and Khewra tehsils.
He said that voter participation in the AJK polls indicate that people took great interest in casting their vote and that they have expressed full confidence in the polling exercise.
"InshaAllah, Imran Khan's government in AJK will prove to be a source of strength for the people of occupied Kashmir," he said.
Out of 7 votes, 3 were cast for for LA-34, Jammu I, Assistant Returning Officer Nadeem Asghar has said.
According to unofficial, preliminary results, PPP's Zahid Iqbal has won with 3 votes.
An unofficial count of votes from LA-39 Jammu 6 shows PML-N in the lead and PTI in second place.
PML-N's Raja Muhammad Siddique leads with 22 votes, whereas PTI's Nazia Naz is in second place with 10 votes.
Out of 103 registered votes, 34 votes were cast.
An unofficial count of votes from LA-34 Jammu 1 shows PPP in the lead and Jammu and Kashmir Awami Tehreek in second place.
PPP's Sardar Zahid Iqbal got 3 votes, whereas Jammu and Kashmir Awami Tehreek's Muhammad Tahir Khokhar has received 1 vote so far.
An unofficial count of votes from LA-25 Neelam Valley 1 shows PML-N in the lead with 132 votes and PTI in second place with 10 votes.
An unofficial count of votes from LA-15 Bagh 2 shows PTI in the lead and PPP in second place.
PTI's Tanveer Ilya is leading with 73 votes, whereas PPP's Zia Qamar is in second place with 49 votes.
The constituency has 185 polling stations.
An unofficial count of votes from LA-27 Muzaffarabad 1 shows PPP in the lead and PTI in second place.
PPP's Javed Ayub is leading with 139 votes, whereas PTI's Mir Atiq-ur-Rehman is in second place with 100 votes.
Polling for the AJK elections has largely continued peacefully across the region and Pakistan, with law enforcement agencies keeping any untoward incidents in check.
There are 5,118 polling stations in Azad Kashmir and 970 in Pakistan.
Out of all these polling stations, only one polling station was fired upon in Kotli.
Twelve incidents have been reported so far during the election of disputes arising between staff members, but these were dealt with instantly and resolved.
A total of 3,019 polling stations in Azad Jammu and Kashmir have been declared as normal, whereas 1,269 polling stations have been declared sensitive and 904 declared highly sensitive.
Of the highly sensitive polling stations, 168 are in Muzaffarabad, 312 in Poonch and 424 in Mirpur.
PTI got the highest number of votes at 613,590 votes, according to data shared by sources in the Election Commission.
The data showed that PTI's vote share is 32.5%. PML-N got 409,191 votes, which makes up for 25.65% of the vote share. PPP got 349,895 votes, which means a vote share of 18.28%.
9:05am — 58% turnout during AJK polls: Election Commission sources
According to Election Commission sources, the turnout for the Azad Kashmir elections was 58%.
The turnout in the 2016 elections was 65%, the sources said.
Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin of Pakistan Peoples Party won with 21527 votes
Muhammad Reyast Khan of PML-N got 200,080 votes