PML-N candidate elected unopposed on reserved seat

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Abdul Rehman Arain was elected unopposed on the reserved seat for overseas Kashmiris in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly (AJKLA) after no other candidate from any party filed nomination papers for the seat. At least 12 candidates for the remaining reserved seats submitted their nomination papers to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission (AJKEC) on Thursday, setting the stage for polling on August 24. For the four reserved seats for women, the PML-N has nominated Maryam Zaman, Maryam Idrees, Sehrish Qamar and Riffat Abid. Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani will contest the technocrat seat, while Maulana Mazhar Saeed will contest the seat reserved for Ulema and Mashaikh. Pakistan Peoples Party PPP candidates who submitted nomination papers for the women’s reserved seats were Farzana Yaqoob, Shaheen Kausar Dar and Zobia Khurshid. Sahibzada Zulfikar Ali submitted papers for the technocrat seat, while Hafiz Tariq Mehmood will contest the seat reserved for Ulema and Mashaikh. The reserved-seat electoral process assumes particular importance for the formation of the next AJK government. The PML-N emerged as the largest parliamentary party in the recently concluded general elections, winning 25 of the 45 directly elected seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party secured 12 seats. With Abdul Rehman Arain’s unopposed election to the overseas Kashmiris seat, the PML-N’s strength in the Assembly has increased to 26 seats, further strengthening its position ahead of the formation of the next government. According to the Election Commission schedule, candidates filed their nomination papers on August 20, while the final list of candidates will be published on August 23. Polling for the remaining reserved seats is scheduled to be held on August 24 at the AJK Legislative Assembly here. The reserved seats are expected to further strengthen the PML-N’s position in the 53-member Assembly. With its expected share of reserved seats and the support of Awami Dast-e-Bazu member Sajid Iqbal Abbasi, the party’s strength is projected to reach 32 members, giving it a comfortable majority. The PPP is expected to secure two reserved seats for women, taking its projected strength to 14. With Abdul Rehman Arain’s unopposed election and the nomination process for the remaining seats now underway, the PML-N has moved a step closer to securing the numbers required to form the next government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir without the support of any other allied party.