Azad Jammu and Kashmir is moving closer to the formation of its next government after the Election Commission scheduled voting for eight reserved seats of the Legislative Assembly on August 24, beginning the fourth phase of an election process marked by delays, security concerns and political disputes.
According to the AJK Election Commission, five of the eight reserved seats are allocated to women, while one each is designated for Ulema and Mashaikh, overseas AJK residents, and technocrats and other professionals. Unlike general constituencies, these seats are elected by the newly elected members of the Legislative Assembly rather than through direct public voting.
Candidates will submit nomination papers on August 20, with scrutiny scheduled for the same day. Appeals can be filed on August 21 and decided on August 22, while withdrawals and publication of the final candidate list are scheduled for August 23. Voting will then take place at the Legislative Assembly Hall in Muzaffarabad from 10am to 1pm on August 24.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz enters the process as the largest parliamentary party after securing 25 general seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party has won 12. The results leave PML-N strongly positioned to form the next AJK government.
Current projections suggest PML-N could secure seven of the eight reserved seats, with PPP taking one women’s seat. However, these remain projections rather than confirmed results and should not be included in either party’s official tally until the reserved-seat process is completed.
Attention will then shift quickly to the Assembly’s leadership. Elections for speaker and deputy speaker are expected on August 25. The election for the next AJK prime minister is likely to follow around August 27, although that date has not yet been presented as a final formal notification.
The schedule provides a clearer route toward government formation after an unusually turbulent election cycle. Voting was conducted in multiple phases, while some constituencies faced postponements and re-polling amid security concerns. The process was also accompanied by opposition allegations of electoral irregularities, which PML-N has rejected. Reuters reported earlier this month that seven constituencies had faced delays amid unrest and security concerns.
Completion of the leadership elections should reduce immediate administrative uncertainty and allow the incoming government to begin functioning formally. However, political disputes surrounding the wider election process may continue even after a new administration takes office.
For now, August 24 is the confirmed date for the reserved-seat process. August 25 and August 27 remain the expected dates for the speaker, deputy speaker and prime ministerial elections respectively, pending the completion of the remaining parliamentary procedures.
