The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission (AJKEC) on Tuesday revised the schedule for the 2026 Legislative Assembly elections, announcing that the polling will now be held in three phases to ensure peaceful, transparent and secure elections across the region.
Announcing the revised election programme at a news conference, Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal said the decision was taken after consultations with all major political parties.
Under the revised schedule polling in the 13 constituencies of Mirpur Division will be held as originally planned on July 27.
Voting in the nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad Division consists of three districts Neelum Valley, Jhelum Valley and Muzaffarabad along with elections for the 12 refugee seats reserved for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) residing in Pakistan will be conducted on August 2.
Polling in the 11 constituencies of Poonch Division’s district Rawalakot, Sudhnoti, Bagh and Haveli will take place on August 10.
Mughal said the election commission was committed to conducting free, fair, impartial and peaceful elections.
Responding to questions, he said international election observers and foreign journalists would be allowed to monitor and cover the electoral process across AJK. He added that presiding officers would share polling results with polling agents immediately after the close of voting in accordance with the election laws.
Explaining the rationale behind the phased polling, Mughal said the revised schedule would facilitate the effective deployment of security personnel.
“Security forces are currently engaged in other parts of the country. Holding elections in phases will enable their movement from one division to another ensuring adequate security arrangements at every stage,” he said.
The chief election commissioner said more than 25,000 AJK government employees had cast their votes peacefully during advance polling held a day earlier, expressing confidence that voter turnout in the remaining phases would also be encouraging.
The announcement of the revised schedule, however, drew mixed reactions from the public. While some welcomed the decision as a step towards ensuring peaceful elections others questioned the need for phased polling, particularly in the Mirpur and Muzaffarabad divisions and for the 12 refugee constituencies, where they argued security concerns were comparatively limited.Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express TribuneOur CorrespondentRead More