AJK general elections schedule to be announced before Eid holidays, CEC

General elections in Azad Kashmir would be expected to held in mid of July for that the preparation of voter lists has been completed, with an increase of 500,000 voters

MUZAFFARABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th May, 2026) General elections in Azad Kashmir would be expected to held in mid of July for that the preparation of voter lists has been completed, with an increase of 500,000 voters.

Chief election commissioner, Justice (Retired) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, on Tuesday said more than 3.4 million voters would be able to cast their votes in the upcoming general elections. All arrangements for the elections have been finalized, and the election schedule would be announced before Eid ul-Adha. He told a group of journalists during an informal chat.

For maintaining law and order, additional personnel, including the army and Rangers, would be deployed and the elections would be conducted under the supervision of the judiciary. Returning Officers (ROs) would be appointed as soon as the election schedule would be issued, while the deployment of the army and law enforcement agencies would be decided after consultation with all stakeholders and once the polling scheme is finalized.

He further told that the mistakes identified during the preparation of voter lists had been corrected, and the voter lists were now in the publication stage. The lists would be published within the next two days.

He said that according to the election plan, all actions were being carried out strictly in line with the announced schedule. The Election Commission has completed all arrangements and preparations for holding the general elections. Political activities would begin as soon as the election schedule is announced.

He further stated that after consultations with all political parties, a code of conduct would be issued in accordance with election laws along with the nomination papers schedule.

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The Election Commission has full authority to enforce the election code of conduct.

Responding to a question regarding the registration of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Chief Election Commissioner said that PTI’s lawyers failed to provide satisfactory answers to the questions raised during the hearing and acknowledged that the objections regarding PTI’s audit were valid.

They could not satisfactorily explain where the funds received from within and outside the country were spent after being deposited into the accounts. He addef that under the Election Ordinance, parties that were banned or unregistered in Pakistan were not allowed to operate in Azad Kashmir, and PTI could not provide a convincing response on this legal point either. However, they have the option to approach the court. The Election Commission, he said, made its decision in accordance with the law.

The Chief Election Commissioner further said that there was no obstacle in issuing the election schedule. The government and all political parties were actively preparing for the elections. The Election Commission has already received the requested funds of 750 million rupees, while additional funds would be provided after an audit of election expenditures. At present, the Election Commission was facing no hurdles in performing its duties.

He said the Commission was fully aware of its powers and would exercise them according to the law when the time comes.