PPP, PML-N hold unity talks over AJK polls

Senior leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) held a high-

Senior leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) held a high-level meeting in Muzaffarabad on Thursday to defuse growing political tensions over the ongoing Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections.

The meeting came after days of heated exchanges between the two coalition partners following the Mirpur election. The PPP had accused the electoral process of being marred by widespread irregularities and raised concerns over the credibility of the results.

According to sources, the talks were aimed at preventing the election dispute from affecting the working relationship between the two parties in the federal coalition government. The meeting was reportedly arranged after consultations at the federal level.

Some sources claimed that the initiative received support from both the Presidency and the Prime Minister’s Office. However, this could not be independently verified.

The PPP delegation included Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nadeem Afzal Chan, AJK Prime Minister Faisal Rathore and Nayyar Bukhari. They met with senior PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah and Amir Muqam.

During the meeting, both sides openly discussed their concerns over statements made during the election campaign and after the announcement of the Mirpur results.

PML-N leaders asked the PPP to present evidence supporting its allegations of organised election rigging. In response, PPP leaders said their objections were limited to four constituencies — LA-5, LA-9, LA-11 and LA-12 — where they believe serious irregularities took place.

PML-N leaders argued that by restricting its objections to only four constituencies, the PPP had effectively accepted the results of the remaining nine seats. They noted that PML-N won five of those seats, while the PPP secured four.

After detailed discussions, both parties agreed that political tensions should not be allowed to escalate further. They also agreed that the dispute should not affect the remaining phases of the AJK elections.

The meeting also reviewed security arrangements for polling in the remaining constituencies, particularly in Muzaffarabad.

Both parties agreed that no individual should be allowed to carry weapons inside or around polling stations. They stressed that strict security measures were necessary to ensure peaceful, transparent and orderly polling.

Political observers view the meeting as the first major reconciliation effort by the two coalition partners to contain the election dispute