PTI candidate declared winner after double recounting in AJK poll

Interior minister says for the first time in the country's history recounting of votes was completed twice in a day

RAWALPINDI:

 Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that PTI candidate Javed Butt has been declared winner in LA-43 Kashmir Valley-4 migrant constituency of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) legislative assembly after a recount of votes was held twice in a day in the history of the country.

“A historic achievement of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission... for the first time in the 70-year history of elections, a recount of the same constituency was held within 24 hours,” the minister wrote on his official Twitter handle on Monday. The recounting was ordered by the presiding officer of the Rawalpindi constituency on the application of the losing candidate.

Rashid said initially the notices regarding recounting were issued for July 27 but ballots were recounted today (Monday) after informing the candidates via WhatsApp messaging application.

“PTI candidate Javed Butt has once again been declared the winner after the recounting,” the federal minister added.

He also said no difference was found in the election result issued a day earlier after recounting.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI emerged as the single-largest party after clinching at least 25 out of 45 seats in AJK elections held on Sunday, according to unofficial results.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) came in second with 11 seats while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) bagged six seats.

Out of 45 general seats for which elections took place on Sunday, 12 were reserved for 464,000 refugees - six each for those migrated from the Jammu division and Kashmir Valley division of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in 1947 and 1965.