MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has nominated three party candidates for the upcoming elections to the four vacant seats of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council, Prime Minister AJK Iftikhar Gillani said on Monday.
According to a statement issued on social media, the nominated candidates include former AJK minister Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed from Mirpur, Mushtaq Minhas from Bagh and Chaudhry Manzoor from Muzaffarabad.
Four members’ seats of the Kashmir Council have fallen vacant following the expiry of the five-year terms of their previous members, with political parties now finalising their candidates for the electoral process.
The term of office of the four elected members of the Council expires on September 18.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has already finalised former AJK Legislative Assembly speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar as its candidate for one of the vacant seats.
AJK Council election schedule
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council elections for four members will be held on October 12 in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, the region’s electoral body said in a press release.
It stated that the candidates can submit nomination papers to the office of the Secretary Election Commission/Returning Officer, from 9 am to 2 pm on October 1.
“Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held at 10 am on October 2, and candidates can file an appeal against the rejection of nomination papers with the Election Commission from 9 am to 12:30 pm on October 5,” the press release stated.
Furthermore, the appeals will be heard from 9 am to 12:30 pm on October 6 and will be decided on the same day from 1 pm to 4 pm, while nominations can be withdrawn before noon on October 7.
As per the schedule, the final list of candidates participating in the elections will be published before 2 pm on October 9, and polling will be held from 10 am to 1 pm on October 12 at the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Hall, with the result being announced on the same day.
According to the press release, the eligibility and disqualification conditions for candidates contesting the elections under Article 21 (4) of the Interim Constitution of AJK, 1974 are the same as those for elected assembly workers.
In addition, it is necessary for a candidate contesting the above elections to submit a declaration of his assets in the prescribed format to the Secretary, Election Commission, and obtain a receipt.
“While filing the nomination papers, the candidate must enclose his constituency in which his name is included in the electoral roll, a receipt of his assets, and also an affidavit that he has opened a special account in a scheduled bank for the purpose of election expenses,” it stated.
The proposer and seconder of the candidate’s nomination papers must be a member of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, the electoral body added.
The press release concluded that during the scrutiny of nomination papers by the Returning Officer, candidates, their proposers and seconders, and an agent appointed in writing by each candidate may be present.
