Azad Kashmir assembly: PPP secures six reserved seats

Muslim Conference gains one seat after PPP struck a new house alignment.

MUZAFFARABAD:

Pakistan Peoples Party clinched six of eight reserved seats in the Azad Kashmir legislative assembly, Muslim Conference and PML-N secured one each.

Three of the PPP nominees, Shazia Akbar, Sadaf Sheikh and Shaheen Dar, were elected on five reserved seats for women, while Attiqur Rehman Faizpuri, Raja Wajidur Rehman and Sardar Abid Hussain were elected on seats reserved for religious scholars, overseas Kashmiris and technocrats, respectively.

The ruling party Muslim Conference, which has just four members in assembly, got one woman’s seat with the help of an electoral alignment with the PPP.

PML-N with 11 members in the legislative assembly managed to get just one seat: Its nominee Fozia Ashraf was elected on a reserved seat for women.

All nominees on reserved seats needed to get seven votes.

With the addition of six more seats, PPP’s strength in the 48-member house rose to 30, while the PML-N has 11 and the Muslim Conference five. MQM won two seats.

While election for a refugee constituency of Kashmir Valley LA-37 Lahore-2 was withheld after PML N challenged the election schedule because of alleged forgery in the electoral lists.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th,  2011.