s Azad Jammu and Kashmir general elections enter their second phase, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party leaders continue to trade accusations of rigging in the first phase.

Meanwhile, tensions have intensified in the region after the Joint Awami Action Committee, already under a legal ban, resumed street agitation. The JAAC was banned last month under anti-terrorism laws.

Polling for the first phase was held amid heavy security and occasional violence on July 27. In the second phase, polling will be held on August 2, for 21 seats: nine in Muzaffarabad division (Jhelum and Neelum Valleys) and 12 reserved for Jammu and Kashmir refugees living across Pakistan.

The refugee seats were provided for in electoral arrangements introduced in 1960. Follow-up legislation in 1964 and 1970 sustained these. The 1974 Interim Constitution of the AJK and the 13th Amendment of 2018 upheld the arrangement to give representation to the refugees from the Jammu and Kashmir areas now administered by India. The JAAC has been demanding the abolition of these seats. Under the current arrangement, out of these 12 refugee seats, nine represent the refugee population settled in the Punjab, (Lahore, Gujranwala, Sialkot and Rawalpindi) and three for those settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (Peshawar and Kohat).

The third phase of the elections will be held on August 10 in Poonch division, comprising 11 constituencies in Rawalakot, Sudhnoti, Bagh and Haveli. This is the first time general elections in the AJK are being held phase wise. Poonch division has been the epicentre of the recent protests.

The electoral campaign has been marked by political tensions and civil unrest in parts of AJK that erupted a few weeks ago. In June, clashes between security forces and supporters of the JAAC, formerly a movement advocating governance reforms, resulted in several deaths and injuries to many, including law enforcement personnel. The JAAC leaders have insisted that their demands be met ahead of the polls.

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission last week notified the results of all 13 constituencies of Mirpur division, confirming a clear lead for the PML-N with nine seats and the PPP with four seats. The PPP leaders have since levelled serious allegations of rigging, rejecting the results and urging the commission to order fresh polling in a couple of constituencies.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called for the government and protesters in the AJK to agree to the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission. He has also that talks are the only way to peaceful resolution of the region’s chronic problems.

“It is necessary that for these historic elections, we restore peace and maintain fairness and transparency. This is not about an electoral victory or defeat. The state and the protesters must accept this proposal.”

He said the PPP had been advocating for the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission, arguing that an independent inquiry could have prevented the violence and loss of life during recent protests.

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission last week notified the results of all 13 constituencies of Mirpur division, indicating a clear lead for the PML-N with nine seats and the PPP bagging four seats. Since then, the PPP has levelled serious allegations of rigging.

Continuing his criticism of the PML-N, a coalition ally in Islamabad, he levelled rigging allegations and demanded re-polling. He also floated the idea of a “national government” in the region to work for peace and political stability. Other party leaders and office-bearers have also held press conferences, presenting what they call evidence of rigging and harassment of party workers and urging the election commission to take remedial action.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has regretted that the PPP has been unable to come to terms with the PML-N’s victory in Mirpur. She says the people of Mirpur have chosen well in voting for development and a better future for their children. “The people did not merely stamp the ballot; they voted for their stake in the development of Azad Kashmir,” she has said. She has expressed confidence that momentum from the first phase will be conserved in the next two phases.

Parties opposed to the federal government have urged the authorities to uphold public rights, constitutional rule and freedom of expression. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf secretary general Salman Akram Raja, whose party has boycotted the AJK polls in solidarity with the JAAC, and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen chairman Raja Nasir Abbas have accused the official media of biased reporting from the region. They say that constitutional and democratic rights of the people are under threat and have demanded an end to coercive measures.

Raja has claimed that the AJK is facing a severe crisis. He has alleged that, following recent fatalities, the bodies of some of the victims were not handed over to their families. Raja and Abbas have said the AJK polls were neither free nor fair. “Repression and the absence of constitutional and legal supremacy have taken root in the region; public rights have been curtailed; and the sanctity of the vote has been undermined,” Abbas has said.

Political analysts foresee rising tensions during the second and third phases of polling. Some have urged the government to initiate talks with the protesters and ensure a peaceful environment for transparent polls.

“The general election 2026 is taking place under the overhang of violent protests organised by the now-defunct Awami Action Committee. The election is being held in the absence of two popular groups. The defunct JAAC is not a registered political party. The PTI is a popular party but not contesting. It has decided to boycott the election as it sees no prospect of a free and fair election,” Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency, has said.

“The AJK situation is an example of mishandling and mismanagement. The PPP-PML-N contest is a sad sideshow at best. At worst, it is a stupid attempt to create temporary distraction from the real issue. Media and information blackout have compounded the crisis. Never thought we would witness such a sorry state of affairs. Terrible,” journalist Syed Talat Hussain wrote on his X timeline.

“We are hearing extremely worrying news of violence coming from the AJK. The situation has clearly been mishandled. The government must resort to dialogue instead of wielding the hammer,” journalist Mazhar Abbas has written.

Many residents of the AJK The News on Sunday given the on-going political unrest, free and fair general elections are essential. Most of them supported talks with the protesters. Use of force, some feared, would continue to fuel political and social tensions.

The author is a staff reporter. He can be reached at [email protected]. He tweets at @waqargillani.