MUZAFFARABAD: Chaudhry Mohammad Ismail of PML-N took oath as member of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly here on Monday, hours after the AJK Election Commission (EC) notified his victory from LA-35, Jammu-II, one of the 12 constituencies of Pakistan-based refugees from India that occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar administered the oath to him in his chamber.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, Mr Ismail said that the 2021 elections to the AJK assembly were manipulated by the then PTI governments in Islamabad and Punjab to create a “fake majority” for their party, “which stands nowhere now.”

“Right on the polling day, I raised my voice in all possible forums that I have been deceitfully deprived of my right to represent the voters of my constituency, but to no avail,” he said.

“My victory in the recount has vindicated my stance on the one hand and reconfirmed the popularity of our party on the other,” he added.

Mr Ismail was declared the duly elected candidate by the returning officer on Sunday following the recounting of the votes polled in all 142 polling stations in his constituency on the orders of the AJK Supreme Court.

Earlier in July 2021, the Election Commission notified PTI’s Chaudhry Maqbool Ahmed.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2024