AJK Assembly reserved seats elections have resulted in a strong showing for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which secured six of the eight reserved seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
Elections were held for all eight reserved seats in the AJK Assembly. PML-N won three of the five seats reserved for women, while the Pakistan Peoples Party secured the remaining two.
PML-N Wins Three Women’s Reserved Seats
PML-N candidates Seharish Qamar, Maryam Zaman and Maryam Idrees were elected on the women’s reserved seats.
PPP candidates Farzana Yaqoob and Zobia Khursheed also secured seats in the same category.
Zobia Khursheed and Riffat Abid received five votes each. The result was decided through a draw, with Zobia Khursheed’s name selected.
PML-N Secures Other Reserved Seats
On the seat reserved for religious scholars and spiritual leaders, PML-N’s Pir Mazhar Saeed Shah emerged victorious.
Barrister Iftikhar Gilani of PML-N won the technocrat seat, while Abdul Rehman Arain secured the seat reserved for overseas Kashmiris.
The results mean that PML-N has won six of the eight AJK Assembly reserved seats, further strengthening its position in the legislative assembly.
PML-N Strengthens Position in AJK Assembly
Following the reserved-seat results, PML-N has a total of 31 seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly, while PPP holds 14 seats.
PML-N’s strength rises to 32 after an alliance with one member of the Awami Dast-o-Baazu party.
With the AJK Assembly reserved seats now filled, the newly elected members will take their oaths after the house becomes complete. The assembly will subsequently elect its speaker and deputy speaker.
The government formation process is currently proceeding without seven members because elections have not yet been held in Poonch and Sudhnoti.
The completion of the reserved-seat elections is expected to play an important role in determining the balance of power within the AJK Assembly.