MUZAFFARABAD: The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has taken adequate measures to ensure law and order and smooth polling in two constituencies of Mirpur division where by-elections are being held on Sunday, officials said on Saturday.

Sardar Ghazanfar, secretary and spokesperson for the commission, told Dawn that while the AJK police would be mainly responsible for security, rangers and army personnel had also been called in as quick response force (QRF) in both LA-3, Mirpur-III and LA-12, Kotli-V, consisting of 85,919 and 106,260 voters, respectively.

Jahangir Jaral, returning officer for LA-3, Mirpur-III, told Dawn that as many as 12 candidates were in the fray in the constituency where by-election had become due after the elevation of Barrister Sultan Mahmood as AJK President in August this year.

Ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has fielded Mr Mahmood’s son Yasir Sultan as its candidate in Mirpur.

Chaudhry Mohammad Saeed, who was runner up in the general elections, would contest under the banner of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have fielded Umair Asghar and Chaudhry Ashraf, the same candidates who had respectively stood at third and fourth positions in the general elections.

Mr Jaral said that around 2,000 police personnel had been deployed in the constituency, where 147 polling stations had been set up, out of which 110 were declared sensitive or the most sensitive.

The LA-12, Kotli-V seat had fallen vacant after Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin of PPP, who had returned from two constituencies of Kotli district, vacated it and took oath from the other constituency.

Raja Riasat of PML-N and Chaudhry Shauqat Farid of PTI were first and second runners-up, respectively, in LA-12, Kotli-V in the general elections. Both are also contesting Sunday’s by-election under the banner of the same parties.

The PPP has launched Mr Yasin’s son Amir Yasin as its candidate from here.

Two PTI activists had lost their lives in Mithi Jand polling station of this constituency on July 25 after an armed clash between the PTI and PPP activists.

Mr Amir, his elder sibling Shahnawaz and some other PPP activists who had been implicated by the victim party in the dual murder case are in judicial lockup in Kotli as they had courted arrest on July 27.

Mian Arif Hussain, district returning officer in Kotli, told Dawn that out of the total 197 polling stations in this constituency, 101 had been declared as highly sensitive, 60 as sensitive and the rest as normal.

He said 2,400 police personnel and 405 Rangers personnel had been deployed in the constituency to maintain law and order. The army personnel will also assist them as QRF, he added.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2021