Newly elected AJK Assembly members take oath

Muzaffarabad (Web Desk): The newly elected members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly were sworn in on Monday.

Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar administered the oath to 46 members of the assembly and congratulated the newly elected lawmakers.

According to details, Assembly Secretary Amjed Latif Abbasi read out the official notifications confirming the election of 38 members from territorial and refugee constituencies during the phased polls.

He also read out the notifications for eight additional lawmakers who were elected to reserved seats by the newly constituted assembly members.

Following the announcement, all newly elected legislators appeared before the house and took their oath from Chaudhry Latif Akbar, who himself lost his constituency in the recent elections and could not return to the assembly.

After taking the oath, the members signed the official oath register according to the sequence of their respective constituencies.

During the proceedings, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Ahmed Raza Qadri presented a motion calling for the suspension of assembly rules that restrict the timing of elections for key positions, including speaker, deputy speaker and leader of the house.

Speaking on a point of order, PPP member Abdul Majid Khan acknowledged that the PML-N had enough strength in the house to suspend the relevant rules.

However, he urged the ruling party to reconsider holding the session on the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal, the day observed as Eid-i-Miladun Nabi to commemorate the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), saying the sanctity of the occasion should be respected.

The chair, however, rejected the objection and maintained that there was nothing inappropriate about convening the assembly and carrying out the election process on the religious occasion.

He said the transfer of authority should be completed without unnecessary delay and described it as appropriate that lawmakers would use the occasion of 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal to express their respect and pay tribute to the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) from the assembly floor.

His remarks were welcomed by PML-N members, who responded with desk-thumping.

Earlier today, the PML-N secured six of the eight reserved seats in the Azad AJK Legislative Assembly on Monday, while PPP won the remaining two seats allocated to women.

The reserved-seat voting marks another step towards completing the composition of the AJK Assembly after the conclusion of the three-phase general elections.

Of the eight reserved seats, five are designated for women, while one each is allocated to a technocrat, Ulema and Mashaikh, and an overseas Kashmiri representative.

The PML-N captured three of the five women’s seats and also took the seats reserved for technocrats, Ulema and Mashaikh, and overseas Kashmiris.

PML-N nominees Seharish Qamar, Maryam Zaman and Maryam Idrees were elected on the three women’s reserved seats. The PPP secured the other two through Farzana Yaqub and Zobia Khurshid.

The women’s category saw a tie between Zobia Khurshid and Rifat Abid, with both candidates receiving five votes each.

The deadlock was resolved through a draw, which resulted in Khurshid being declared the winner.

Pir Mazhar Saeed Shah of the PML-N won the reserved seat for Ulema and Mashaikh, while Barrister Iftikhar Gillani was elected to the technocrat seat.

Abdul Rehman Arain was also declared elected after securing the reserved seat designated for overseas Kashmiris.

With the latest results, the PML-N’s representation in the AJK Assembly increased to 31 seats, whereas the PPP’s strength rose to 14 lawmakers.

The PML-N’s overall strength stands at 32 after it formed an alliance with a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Awami Dast-o-Bazu (JK ADB).

Voting for the reserved seats commenced at 10am at the AJK Legislative Assembly complex in Muzaffarabad. The secretary of the AJK Election Commission acted as the presiding officer during the polling process.

Now that the reserved-seat elections have concluded, the newly elected lawmakers are expected to take their oaths. The assembly will subsequently proceed with the election and oath-taking ceremonies for the speaker and deputy speaker.

The process of forming the new government is continuing despite the absence of seven elected members, as polling in seven constituencies across the Poonch and Sudhnoti districts has not yet taken place.

In the three-phase general elections, the PML-N had already established itself as the largest political force by winning 25 general seats, while the PPP finished with 11.

During the first phase, polling was held in 13 constituencies of the Mirpur Division. The PML-N emerged victorious in nine constituencies, while the PPP won four.

The second phase took place on August 2 across eight constituencies in the Muzaffarabad Division and all 12 refugee constituencies. The PML-N won 15 seats in this phase, compared with six secured by the PPP.

The third phase covered two constituencies, with both major parties adding one seat each to their respective tallies. As a result, the PML-N reached 25 general seats and the PPP stood at 11.

The election process, however, was accompanied by allegations of rigging from the PPP, which raised questions over the transparency and manner in which polling was conducted.

After the second round of voting, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari criticised the federal government and indicated that his party would step up its political resistance.

The PML-N dismissed the allegations. Its President Nawaz Sharif, meanwhile, called on political forces to ensure that differences did not develop into personal hostility and voiced concern over the tense political environment in the region.