The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) edged closer to a decisive victory in the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, leading with 13 seats after results from 18 constituencies, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured its fifth seat.
The latest unofficial and provisional results showed PPP candidate Mian Abdul Waheed won the LA-26 Neelum Valley-2 constituency after votes from all 135 polling stations were counted.
Abdul Waheed secured 17,466 votes, defeating PML-N candidate Shah Ghulam Qadir, who received 15,494 votes.
The victory raised the PPP's tally to five seats, while the PML-N maintained its overall lead with 13 victories from the 18 constituencies for which complete unofficial and provisional results have been announced.
Earlier, the PML-N increased its tally to 13 seats after Nasir Hussain Dar won the LA-34 Jammu-1 constituency with 5,682 votes, defeating independent candidate Raja Riaz Ahmed, who secured 2,124 votes.
The party had also retained the LA-32 Muzaffarabad-6 seat, where Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider defeated PPP candidate Sahibzada Muhammad Ashfaq Zafar by 21,156 votes to 19,010.
The PPP earlier secured LA-33 Muzaffarabad-7, with Diwan Ali Khan Qamar Chughtai polling 25,469 votes against 21,175 for PML-N's Mian Muhammad Rashid.
In Neelum Valley-1, the PML-N's Shah Ghulam Qadir defeated PPP candidate Mian Abdul Waheed by 18,925 votes to 13,596, before the PPP responded by winning the neighbouring LA-26 Neelum Valley-2 constituency.
The PPP also won LA-40 Kashmir Valley-1, where Aamir Abdul Ghaffar secured 2,914 votes, defeating the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party's Muhammad Saleem Butt, who received 136 votes.
Earlier in the counting process, PML-N candidate Raja Muhammad Siddique won LA-39 Jammu-6, defeating PPP's Chaudhry Fakhar Zaman by 10,981 votes to 5,081.
With unofficial and provisional results now declared in 18 of the 20 constituencies contested in the second phase, the PML-N remains the clear frontrunner with 13 seats, while the PPP has secured five.
Further unofficial and provisional results are expected after counting is completed in the remaining two constituencies.
Polling for the second phase concluded on Sunday after authorities extended voting by one hour, from the scheduled 5pm closing time to 6pm, across nine constituencies in the Muzaffarabad division to facilitate voters.
Similar to the first phase, the PPP alleged that the latest round of polling was marred by rigging.
The AJK Election Commission said in a statement that the decision was taken in view of the large number of voters arriving at polling stations and to facilitate them in exercising their right to vote.
Voting took place in nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division — five in Muzaffarabad district, two in Jhelum Valley, and two in Neelum — with 207 candidates contesting.
Simultaneously, polling was held in all 12 refugee constituencies, including six seats reserved for refugees from the Kashmir Valley and six for refugees from the Jammu region. A total of 137 candidates are in the race for these refugee seats.
PML-N leaders rejected allegations of rigging and claims that Azad Kashmir President Chaudhry Latif Akbar and MNA Salahuddin Junejo had come under attack during the AJK elections.
Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said a democratic party had started alleging rigging from around 10:30am despite the polling process continuing. He claimed PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had been given incorrect information and was being misled into making false statements.
Sanaullah said only three incidents were reported during polling across Azad Kashmir. Referring to one of them, he said Latif Akbar had gone to cast his vote at his polling station, where he had a dispute with members of the Sadat family.
He said an altercation took place there, adding that whether someone threw a punch or shots were fired, "we are responsible", but claimed the dispute was later portrayed as an attack on the AJK president.
Referring to another incident in LA-31, Sanaullah said MNA Salahuddin Junejo, accompanied by Sindh Police personnel, entered a polling station in Khawra.
He alleged that Junejo's gunmen opened fire after he entered a third polling station and claimed there was also firing from the other side. Rana said reports suggested the MNA had sustained a bullet injury, but added that this had not been confirmed.
Questioning Junejo's presence at the polling station, Rana urged Bilawal to ask the MNA why he had gone there.
PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf rejected the AJK election process, alleging that the mandate was "fake" and accusing the PML-N of pushing the situation towards further instability.
Addressing a press conference, Raja said elections that were neither free, fair nor impartial would not be accepted. He said political workers knew where they had genuinely lost, but alleged that the PPP had been treated unfairly.
Questioning the conduct of the polls, he asked whether such elections befitted the PML-N despite the two parties being allies. He alleged that the Election Commission had failed to act on a single complaint over the past five years and claimed it was operating under the influence of the PPP's rival party.
Raja further alleged that acting AJK President Chaudhry Latif Akbar was assaulted by PML-N supporters, who abused and physically attacked him. Referring to the killing of a PPP worker in Khawra, he questioned descriptions of the incident as merely an altercation, asking whether the killing of a 70-year-old man with sticks could not be considered murder.
He also claimed that polling did not take place in one Kotli constituency because election materials had not reached the area, questioning whether such material should have been delivered on polling day rather than in advance. Raja further alleged that polling was also suspended at several polling stations in Bazil Naqvi's constituency.
Calling the PPP's objections to the electoral process "serious", Raja held the Chief Election Commissioner responsible for the situation.
Separately, PPP Chairman Bilawal condemned the killing of party worker Mushtaq Shah in LA-31 and expressed condolences to his family.
He said that the attack on Akbar, followed by the killing of the PPP worker, exposed "the intentions of the PML-N".
