What happened
Pakistan’s ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has secured a simple majority in the 45-member Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, winning 23 seats, according to the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs, Rana Sanaullah.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam, Sanaullah said polling had been completed on 20 general seats, of which the PML-N won 13. The party took nine of the 13 seats decided in the first phase in Mirpur Division and four of the seven constituencies decided in the second phase in Muzaffarabad Division, with the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) winning the remaining three.
Sanaullah said the PML-N also won 10 of the 12 refugee seats, giving it a total of 23 — enough to form a simple majority government. Polling on the remaining constituencies is to be held in a third phase after one seat fell vacant following the death of a candidate.
Reaction
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and the party’s winning candidates, describing the outcome as a strong endorsement of the party’s leadership and development agenda. He said the development and prosperity of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the welfare of its people, remained among the PML-N’s foremost priorities, and welcomed the participation of political parties in the process.
Muqam called the result a victory for democracy and the writ of the state, and said voter turnout in several constituencies ranged between 50 and 60 per cent despite predictions of low participation. He credited the Election Commission, civil administration, police and security agencies with peaceful polling.
Dispute over the result
Sanaullah rejected allegations of rigging by the PPP as baseless and politically motivated, saying the opposition had made the claims after losing the first phase of polling and had failed to produce credible evidence. He alleged that PPP workers and members of an action committee set tyres on fire and opened fire in constituency LA-31, causing one death and creating an atmosphere of fear that affected turnout.
The PPP has described the elections as neither free nor fair. Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in a video message, said the federal government’s “countdown has begun”, while senior party leader Sharjeel Inam Memon alleged historic rigging in the AJK poll. The results are contested and the PML-N and PPP give sharply different accounts of the voting.
Why it matters
The result keeps the region’s legislature in the hands of the party that also governs at the federal level in Islamabad. But the PPP’s rejection of the outcome, together with the unrest that has surrounded the polls, means the dispute is likely to continue into the final phase of voting.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited sources, which were reviewed on 3 August 2026.
- Pakistan Today — "PM Shehbaz hails public mandate as PML-N secures simple majority in AJK election"3 August 2026 · The 23-seat tally, the phase-by-phase results, the reaction of the prime minister and ministers, and the rejection of the PPP's rigging claims.
- Emra News English — "'Federal govt's countdown begins,' warns Bilawal after 'rigged' AJK elections"3 August 2026 · The PPP's description of the polls and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's warning to the federal government.
