Final phase of polling begins in Pakistan-administered Kashmir amid PTI boycott call

Aug 10, 2026

Polling began on August 10, 2026, for the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections in Bagh and Haveli districts, amid heightened security and a complete boycott call by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). While the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leads the 45-member assembly with 24 seats, elections in seven other constituencies in Poonch and Sudhnoti remain postponed due to ongoing protest sit-ins in Rawalakot.

Bagh Haveli constituency polling

▪Polling began on August 10, 2026, for the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections in four constituencies across Bagh and Haveli districts.
▪Senior political figures contesting the Bagh and Haveli elections include Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Faisal Rathore and former Prime Ministers Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan and Sardar Tanveer Ilyas.
▪Approximately 460,000 registered voters are eligible to cast ballots in the Bagh and Haveli constituencies during the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections.

PTI election boycott

▪Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi warned party workers of immediate disciplinary action and expulsion if they participate in or support candidates in the elections.
▪Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf linked its election boycott to the ongoing Rawalakot sit-in and demanded legal action and justice for unarmed Kashmiris killed during clashes with security forces.
▪The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Azad Jammu and Kashmir unit announced a complete boycott of the Bagh and Haveli elections, calling the electoral process unconstitutional and unfair.

Rawalakot protest postponement

▪Elections in five constituencies of Poonch district and two constituencies of Sudhnoti district were postponed due to security concerns and an ongoing protest sit-in in Rawalakot.
▪The Joint Awami Action Committee's dispute with the regional government centers on a demand to abolish 12 legislative seats reserved for people displaced from Indian-controlled Kashmir.
▪The outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee, which has led weeks of protests and clashes with security forces, urged residents to boycott the legislative assembly elections.
▪Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal stated that postponed polls in Rawalakot could be held on August 20 or 21, 2026, if the local sit-in is resolved.

PML-N majority win

▪The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leads the 45-member Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly with 24 seats won during the first two phases of voting.
▪The Pakistan Peoples Party stands second in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after securing 10 seats across the first two phases of the elections.
▪Rana Sanaullah, a political affairs adviser to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, predicted that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would secure a two-thirds majority to form the next regional government.

AJK election security arrangements

▪Azad Jammu and Kashmir election authorities deployed security personnel and transported election materials under the supervision of the armed forces to ensure a peaceful voting process.
▪Election authorities made efforts to restore internet services in Bagh and Haveli on August 9 and 10, 2026, to facilitate communication and coordination during polling.
▪Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal announced that up to eight security personnel would be deployed at each polling station designated as highly sensitive.