PoJK: In the 53-member Legislative Assembly of Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK), 46 newly elected members took the oath on August 24, Monday. Elections to seven seats, five in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti, have been postponed indefinitely due to law and order concerns.
The oath taking marks the formal beginning of the new parliamentary term following the 2026 general elections. This also means that seven seats can remain vacant for a long time as the Pakistan Muslim League-N has a clear majority with 31 members. Rival Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has 14 members and one independent member has decided to support the PML-N.
In all phases of the elections, the PPP led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari alleged rigging in favour of PML-N and these embittered the relations between the two parties. The PPP leaders alleged that their party was not provided a level playing field. They also questioned the integrity of the election process saying the declaration of results of all phases should have been at the end. The declaration of results in phases gave an unfair advantage to PML-N, they alleged.
Assembly members take oath, House constituted
Speaker Latif Akbar administered the oath to the newly elected lawmakers during the inaugural session of the new assembly. The oath-taking ceremony reflected the changed political balance, with the PML-N all set to form the government.
A total of 31 PML-N assembly members took oath, along with one member of the Awami Dast-o-Bazu while 14 members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) also took oath, according to the initial proceedings. The PML-N and its allied Awami Dast-o-Bazu member Sajid Iqbal Abbasi making a combined strength of 32 were present in the assembly while the PPP was represented by all its 14 lawmakers.
The oath-taking formally paved the way for the election of the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker and subsequent formation of the PML-N-led government. The session marked the first sitting of the newly elected assembly members after the completion of the phased general elections, in which the PML-N secured a clear numerical advantage over its political rivals.
The assembly proceedings began amid heightened political interest as lawmakers took their seats in the House and formally assumed their constitutional responsibilities.
Nominee for PM’s post not announced
o far, PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has not named the new Prime Minister of POJK from his party. On Sunday, he had discussed different names with his younger brother Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister and daughter Maryam Nawaz. The discussions were held at Jati Umra residence where some senior leaders of the party were also present.
The new government is expected to move towards completing the remaining parliamentary formalities, including the election of the new PM and the formation of the cabinet. PML-N further strengthened its position in the House by securing six of the eight reserved seats, taking its total strength to 31 lawmakers.
The PML-N won three women’s reserved seats as well as the seats reserved for ulema and mashayikh, overseas Kashmiris and a technocrat. The PPP secured the remaining two women’s reserved seats.
PML-N gets 6 out of 8 reserved seats
The PML-N’s successful candidates included Maryam Zaman Kashmiri, Maryam Idris and Sehrish Qamar on women’s seats, Abdul Rehman Arain on the overseas Kashmiris’ seat, Iftikhar Gilani on the technocrat seat and Maulana Mazhar Saeed on the ulema and mashayikh seat.
The women’s reserved seat results witnessed a dramatic finish when PML-N candidate Riffat Abid and PPP candidate Zubia Khursheed secured five votes each. The tie was decided through a draw, with PPP candidate Zubia Khursheed declared successful. The PPP’s Farzana Yaqoob had earlier also secured a women’s reserved seat with the support of the PPP electoral college.
The latest results give the PML-N 31 members in the 53-member Assembly, while the PPP has 14 seats. The PML-N’s strength is expected to rise to 32 with the support of Awami Dast-o-Bazu member Sajid Iqbal Abbasi. The development further consolidates the PML-N’s position ahead of the formation of the new government. The PML-N emerged as the largest parliamentary party in the recent general elections after winning 25 of the 45 directly elected seats. The PPP secured 12 direct seats.
The PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif had earlier interviewed the party’s women candidates for the reserved seats in Murree as part of the process of finalising nominations. The PML-N POJK president and likely PM candidate Shah Ghulam Qadir congratulated all the newly elected PML-N MLAs on the reserved seats.
Elections conclude with 7 vacant seats
The elections were held in three phases under a revised schedule announced by Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal on July 21. The first phase covered all 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division, while polling in Muzaffarabad Division and the 12 refugee constituencies was held on August 2, followed by Poonch (Rawalakot) Division on August 10.
The Election Commission on August 7 announced that polling would proceed as scheduled in four constituencies — Bagh Central, Bagh East, Bagh West and Haveli — while voting in seven constituencies would be postponed due to security concerns. The seven constituencies included five in Poonch district — Rawalakot, Pachhiot, Ali Sojal, Hajira and Abbaspur — and two in Sudhnoti district, Palandri and Baloch.
The commission said the decision followed a report by the home secretary highlighting security concerns in parts of the two districts. The postponement came against the backdrop of deteriorating security conditions in Poonch Division, where tensions have persisted since June 5. Violent clashes erupted in Rawalakot between police and members of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) after the group attempted to enter the city during the first phase of the AJK elections.
At least 80 people affiliated to Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) were killed since June 5 in firing by the security forces, mainly near Rawalakot. On that day, the JAAC was suddenly declared a proscribed terrorist organisation and a crackdown against its supporters started in right earnest.
Several videos circulating online showed scenes of unrest, with claims of violence and casualties, though the details could not be independently verified.
Clash with JAAC led to poll cancellation
Authorities have claimed that JAAC supporters opened fire on police after refusing to disperse, injuring officers, while the group alleged security forces had used excessive force, claiming multiple fatalities among its supporters. Since then, the government has maintained that the law and order situation in parts of Poonch and Sudhnoti remained fragile.
The first phase concluded with polling across Mirpur Division, while the second phase covered nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad Division and 12 refugee seats, bringing 21 constituencies to the polls. However, voting in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I and LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II was postponed after heavy rain, landslides and adverse weather prevented election staff and polling material from reaching several polling stations.
Polling in the two delayed constituencies was held two days later under heightened security arrangements, with the PML-N winning LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I and the PPP securing LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II. The Election Commission subsequently notified the results of all 21 constituencies contested in the second phase.
