JAMMU: The Election Commission of Pakistan Occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) has announced that elections for all eight reserved seats will be held on August 24 despite polling on seven of the Assembly’s 45 general seats still pending. So far, elections have been held for 38 of these 45 seats, with Pakistan Muslim League-N winning 25 of them, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) 12 and one seats going to Independent lawmaker Sardar Sajid Iqbal.
Interestingly, with this last named lawmaker joining the PML-N, the partynow has 26 seats and is all set to win many of eight reserved seats as well. Out of these eight seats, five are reserved for women, one reserved for clergy, one reserved for technocrats and one for overseas Kashmiris. Once all these seats are filled, the PML-N is likely to have more than two-thirds majority in the POJK Legislative Assembly, according to a report of The Express Tribune.
The announcement of schedule for the reserved seats has, however, upset PPP which is supporting the Federal government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from outside. Most party leaders have said that these seats should have been filled only after holding the elections to pending seven seats.
Independent lawmaker joins PML-N
Independent Sardar Sajid Iqbal had earlier caused a major upset as he defeated former POJK Prime Minister and Muslim Conference leader Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan. His joining the PML-N has boosted its ranks, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah said in Islamabad on Monday.
Sanaullah said Iqbal had accepted the PML-N leadership’s request to join the party and support its efforts. “We requested Sajid Iqbal that, for the development of his constituency and POJK, he become part of our team and work shoulder to shoulder with us,” Sanaullah said. “I am deeply grateful to him that, for the good of POJK, he accepted our request and decided that he would become a part of us,” he added.
Meanwhile, the PPP will announce its official position on elections to eight reserved seats soon even as the PML-N has reportedly finalised its candidates for these seats. Qamar Zaman Kaira, a member of the PPP parliamentary committee, has said that the party will make its stance known after examining the relevant law.
PPP stance on reserved seats not clear
He said the election rules do not bar elections to reserved seats even if polling on some general seats has yet to take place. Kaira said the party leadership would announce its candidates within a day or two. He said he was unaware when interviews of the aspirants would be conducted.
PPP President for the region, Chaudhary Muhammad Riaz, also a member of the party’s Parliamentary board, initially said the candidates had almost been finalised BUT later retracted the statement.
The PML-N has reportedly finalised its candidates, who are expected to be announced by the party leadership soon. The Election Commission announcement coincided with meetings held by the PML-N leadership in Murree regarding formation of the next government and allocation of reserved seats.
According to reports, the names of Sehrish Qamar, Maryam Kashmiri, Nasira Khan and Nasara Abbassi are among those under consideration by the PML-N. According to a notification issued on Sunday by Raja Muhammad Shakeel Khan, Secretary of the Election Commission, elections will be held for all eight reserved seats.
