ISLAMABAD: The second phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections remained peaceful on Sunday, according to authorities in the region, despite fears of violence after deadly clashes between security forces and a recently banned protest group overshadowed the first round of voting last week.
Polling was held across eight general constituencies in Muzaffarabad Division and 12 seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir residing in Pakistan, while voting in one constituency and parts of another was postponed because heavy rain, landslides and blocked roads prevented polling staff and election materials from reaching voting stations.
“Polling in the second phase of the 2026 Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections was held in an overall peaceful atmosphere on Sunday,” the AJK Press Information Department said in a statement.
“Voters cast their ballots from morning until evening, while the Election Commission had made special arrangements to ensure that the polling process was conducted in a transparent and orderly manner at polling stations,” it added.
The second phase of polling came a week after violence marred voting in Mirpur Division, where the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a recently banned group, led protests over 12 refugee seats in the legislative assembly.
The JAAC says 31 of its supporters were killed in clashes with security forces during the first phase of polling on July 27, while government officials say the group launched violent attacks that killed two security personnel.
The protest group rose to prominence last year over grievances including electricity tariffs, governance and economic rights, but has more recently focused its campaign on the refugee seats, arguing they allow Pakistan-based political parties to influence the formation of the regional government.
Authorities say the seats are protected under the constitution and cannot be abolished without a constitutional amendment.
Sunday’s elections were criticized by the Pakistan Peoples Party, a coalition partner in Pakistan’s federal government, which said polling staff had not arrived at many polling stations by noon and that the law-and-order situation had also been poor.
Commenting on the overall situation, however, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Political Adviser Rana Sanaullah told a televised news conference that the federal government had been coordinating with the AJK authorities to ensure violence-free elections.
“The goal was that not a single shot should be fired anywhere throughout the day,” he said.
The AJK authorities said polling in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I, and in four patwar circles of LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II, had been postponed until Aug. 4 because of severe weather conditions.
The final phase of the elections is scheduled to be held in Poonch Division on Aug. 10.
