Pakistan | By Haris Saleem
BAGH — The Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz won one seat each in Bagh district after re-polling at 23 polling stations on Saturday, according to unofficial results, bringing another closely watched phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections to an end.
PPP candidate Sardar Zia-ul-Qamar retained LA-15 Bagh-II, defeating PML-N’s Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas, while PML-N candidate Sardar Mir Akbar Khan won LA-16 Bagh-III against PPP’s Sardar Qamaruz Zaman.
Zia Qamar Holds LA-15
In LA-15, re-polling was conducted at nine polling stations after voting there could not be completed during the earlier phase.
Unofficial results put Zia-ul-Qamar at 17,118 votes, compared with 15,227 for Mushtaq Minhas — a winning margin of 1,891 votes. The victory gives Qamar his second consecutive success in the constituency after his 2023 by-election win.
Mir Akbar Takes LA-16 for PML-N
The PML-N secured the other Bagh contest.
Re-polling took place at 14 stations in LA-16, where Mir Akbar Khan defeated PPP candidate Qamaruz Zaman by roughly 3,800 votes. Reports put Akbar’s tally at around 20,800 votes, against 16,963 for his PPP rival.
The result represents Akbar’s fifth election victory overall and third consecutive win, reinforcing his position as a major political figure in the Bagh region.
Why Re-Polling Was Necessary
Saturday’s voting was required because polling could not be completed at the 23 stations on August 10 amid security problems and the absence of election staff at some locations.
The AJK Election Commission subsequently ordered fresh voting at nine stations in LA-15 and 14 in LA-16.
The Bagh contests were particularly important because unresolved results had left part of the election picture incomplete.
PML-N Remains Dominant Despite PPP Win
The split result does little to alter the broader balance of power.
The PML-N has already emerged as the dominant party in the new AJK Assembly and is positioned to form the government. The PPP remains the principal challenger, while simultaneously alleging irregularities in the wider election — accusations rejected by the PML-N.
That has created an unusual political dynamic: PML-N and PPP cooperate at Pakistan’s federal level but are increasingly confronting each other over the AJK election.
The Bagh result gives both parties something to claim — a strategically important hold for the PPP in LA-15 and another victory for the PML-N in LA-16 — but it does not end the wider dispute over how the election was conducted.