MIRPUR — Counting from the first phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Legislative Assembly elections has concluded across the Mirpur Division, with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerging as the dominant force, winning nine of the 13 contested seats spanning Mirpur, Bhimber and Kotli districts. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) took the remaining four seats, while the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and an independent candidate finished as runners-up in select constituencies.
Mirpur District
In LA-1 Mirpur-1, PML-N’s Azhar Sadiq secured victory with 15,427 votes, defeating PPP’s M. Afsar Shahid, who polled 9,832 votes.
PPP claimed LA-2 Mirpur-2, where Qasim Majeed won with 12,904 votes against PML-N’s Azim Bukhsh, who received 8,182 votes.
The party also took LA-3 Mirpur-3, with Ch. Yasir Sultan winning 11,676 votes to defeat PML-N’s Ch. Muhammad Saeed, who garnered 9,832 votes.
PML-N reclaimed ground in LA-4 Mirpur-4, where Ch. Rukhsar Ahmed won decisively with 20,172 votes against PPP’s Ch. Sohaib Arshad, who took 13,865 votes.
Bhimber District
PML-N swept all three Bhimber seats. In LA-5 Bhimber-1, Waqar Ahmed Noor narrowly defeated PPP’s Ch. Parvez Ashraf in one of the tightest races of the phase, winning 30,259 votes to 29,574.
In LA-6 Bhimber-2, Ch. Muhammad Razaq won with 32,732 votes, ahead of IPP’s Ali Shan Ch., who polled 26,718 votes — marking IPP’s strongest showing of the day.
PML-N’s Ch. Tariq Farooq took LA-7 Bhimber-3 with 35,490 votes, well ahead of independent candidate Ch. Anwarul Haq, who received 25,100 votes.
Kotli District
Kotli produced a mixed result between the two major parties. PPP’s Zafar Iqbal Malik won LA-8 Kotli-1 with 19,535 votes against PML-N’s Malik M. Nawaz Khan, who took 11,966 votes.
PML-N’s Umair Naeem prevailed in LA-9 Kotli-2 with 31,080 votes over PPP’s Javed Iqbal Bharhanvi, who polled 28,509 votes.
PPP’s Ch. M. Yasin won LA-10 Kotli-3 with 12,431 votes, defeating PML-N’s Fatah Mehmoodul Hasan, who received 9,245 votes.
PML-N’s Muhammad Asif took LA-11 Kotli-4 with 26,190 votes against PPP’s Ch. M Akhlaq, who polled 21,751 votes.
In LA-12 Kotli-5, PML-N’s Muhammad Riasat won a closely fought contest with 35,168 votes over PPP’s Ch. Muhammad Yasin, who secured 30,320 votes.
PML-N completed its sweep of Kotli’s contested seats in LA-13 Kotli-6, where Raja Ayaz Ahmed won with 21,856 votes, defeating IPP’s Nisar Ansar Abdali, who polled 15,859 votes.
Overview
Of the 13 seats declared across the Mirpur Division, PML-N secured nine, while PPP won four. The results come as the first phase of a broader, multi-division election schedule, with polling in Muzaffarabad Division and refugee constituencies and in Poonch Division still to follow. Voting has taken place against the backdrop of continued unrest tied to protests led by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee, which has demanded the abolition of the refugee-reserved seats contested in later phases.