AJK poll ‘rigging’: PTI seeks army chief’s intervention

The party’s AJK president demands installation of an interim govt in the region till 2018

ISLAMABAD: In an unprecedented move, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has turned to the military chief for his intervention in investigating ‘pre-poll rigging’ claims in the recently held Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) polls where the party faced a rout at the hands of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Last month, the PML-N swept to victory in the AJK elections, clinching as many as 31 seats in the legislative assembly against the PTI’s two seats. Interestingly, PTI chief Imran Khan had accepted the results after the polls.

Issuing a white paper on the alleged ‘irregularities and pre-planned rigging’ in the AJK general elections, the PTI demanded a re-election in the territory and installation of an interim government.

“I have written a letter to Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on the issue as rigging in the AJK elections will adversely impact the ongoing freedom movement in Indian-held Kashmir,” the party’s AJK chapter president Barrister Sultan Mahmood said at a news conference.



Barrister Sultan claimed that days before the polls, the government issued a notification calling for establishment of a cell under the control of the AJK Council rather than a local government department, for implementation of developmental schemes and a personal friend of the minister for Kashmir affairs was made its head.

“The party ruling in the Centre usually wins the AJK elections. The core reason behind the victory is that the federal government appointed the inspector general of police and AJK’s chief secretary, who manage elections in favour of the ruling party,” he claimed.

He said an interim government having representation of all political parties should be installed in AJK and the general elections should be called in 2018 along with the rest of Pakistan.

During a news conference, the media men were also shown a video where a PML-N candidate running for the legislative assembly was saying that he received Rs20m from the Kashmir Council Fund. Mahmood also presented ‘evidence’ of use of money during the polls. “The PML-N announced developmental schemes only to buy the loyalties of voters,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2016.