PTI rejects AJK election results; demands fresh polls

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rejected on Wednesday the results of the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections.

Addressing a press conference with other party leaders, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the turnout was less than five per cent, which was constitutionally unacceptable. He alleged that the two parties ruling the region for the past 40 years were engaging in political point-scoring over the blood of Kashmiris.

Gohar said that the PTI had rejected the election results and demanded a judicial inquiry into the violent incidents in AJK.

He said the government itself was responsible for worsening the situation in the region and added that transparent elections could have improved conditions.

Gohar said that the PTI leaders were stopped from visiting AJK, questioning how peace could be established if the political representatives were not allowed to go there.

He alleged that the July 27 elections were conducted through 'fraud' and said problems could never be resolved through the use of force.

Gohar sees public opinion central to democracy

He said that the public opinion was central to democracy and the people must be heard. He added that the political parties were engaged in point-scoring while blood was being shed in Kashmir.

Gohar said that the PTI had boycotted the elections because it considered them 'fraudulent'. He demanded the resignation of the AJK government, the formation of a national government, and fresh elections across the region on the same day.

He also called for negotiations to resolve issues in AJK.

It is pertinent to note that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the leading party in the first phase of the 2026 Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections, winning nine of the 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division, according to complete unofficial and provisional results.