PML-N wins 9 of 13 PoK seats amid rigging claims

The Story in Brief

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won nine of the 13 seats declared in the first phase of elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the Election Commission said on Tuesday. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) took the remaining four seats but alleged “massive rigging”, with senior leader Nayyar Bokhari claiming its winning seats were gifted to the PML-N. PPP leaders demanded that results be withheld pending an investigation. PML-N adviser Rana Sanaullah rejected the allegations, saying the polls were largely peaceful except for one constituency where a PPP worker was killed in a clash.

The elections for the 45-seat Legislative Assembly are being held in three phases ending August 10, following two months of violence triggered by a demand to abolish 12 contentious refugee seats. India maintains that the entire Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of the country and that Pakistan is in illegal occupation of parts of these union territories. New Delhi had earlier described the protests in PoK as a direct consequence of Islamabad’s systemic exploitation and administrative oppression.