Azad Kashmir elections: No talk about use of EVMs

ISLAMABAD: Nearly 900 candidates have filed nomination papers to compete for 45 seats of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly (AJKLA) in the general elections to be held on July 25.

“The precise number of aspirants will be available on July 2 after the withdrawal of candidatures by the contestants. The final list of candidates will be published on July 3,” AJK Election Commission (AJKEC) Secretary Sardar Ghazanfar told The News from Muzaffarabad when contacted. He said the AJKEC was fully geared up to hold the polls in a fair, free and transparent manner. He said suitable security arrangements were being taken to conduct the exercise in a peaceful fashion. The paramilitary Rangers will be deployed to assist the police to provide a safe and secure environment to voters. The secretary said the AJKEC has been disbursed the required funds by the authorities and it faces no financial problem.

Interestingly, neither are Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) being used in the AJK elections, even on a trial basis, nor has any political party even talked about or demanded their introduction in the polls. This is in complete contrast to the vociferous calls being made in Pakistan, specifically by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to use EVMs in future parliamentary elections come what may. The opposition parties are unanimous in rejecting the proposal

The AJK Elections Act arms the electoral commission with appropriate powers to hold the polls. Its Section 10 says the AJKEC may exercise the same power as a high court to punish any person for contempt of court and the Contempt of Court Act, 1993 or any other law pertaining to contempt “will have effect accordingly as if reference to a court and to a judge were a reference respectively to the AJKEC and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) or a member of the AJKEC.”

The AJKEC has a total of 32 registered political parties. However, only a few of them are in the race while others with a tiny support base have fielded hardly any candidate.

The main contest is going to take place among the PTI, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). No major election alliance has emerged for the polls. The PTI, however, has worked out cooperation with certain small parties.

The poll rules allow the formation of an election alliance and the AJKEC is empowered to allot one symbol to the candidates or a combination of two or more political parties which have agreed to put up joint nominees for election on an application made by it in this behalf.

A contesting candidate, before seeking allocation of a symbol, will file a declaration before the Returning Officer about his affiliation with a particular political party, if any, along with a certificate from it showing that he is that its candidate from that constituency. Same is the case in Pakistan.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has already kicked off his election campaign by holding three public rallies in a row in Azad Kashmir. No senior leader of the PML-N has launched the party’s electioneering campaign as yet. PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and Vice President Maryam Nawaz are likely to spearhead their party’s campaign. As far as the PTI is concerned, Kashmir Affairs Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Senator Saifullah Niazi are in-charge of canvassing.

AJK has a total of just over three million voters, a tally which is equal to the number of voters in about ten National Assembly constituencies of Pakistan.

Of the 45 directly contested seats of the AJKLA, 33 are located in AJK territory with over 2.82 million registered voters including 1.29m women, and 12 are located in Pakistan for Kashmiri refugees with 430,456 registered voters, including 170,931 women.

Of the elections to be held in 12 constituencies in Pakistan, the officers of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) have been placed at the disposal of the AJKEC to be appointed as district returning officers and returning officers. Different phases of the election schedule announced on June 10 are being completed smoothly, and the AJKECP hopes that the exercise will conclude peacefully as planned.