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.
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