MUZAFFARABAD: With only two days left before the deadline for filing nomination papers for the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) general elections, only 117 nominations had been received in 45 constituencies, an official said on Wednesday.

AJK Election Commission Secretary Raja Shakeel Khan told Dawn that 83 nomination papers had been filed in 33 territorial constituencies, while 34 had been received in the 12 constituencies in Pakistan reserved for post-1947 refugees from occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Amid a region-wide shutter-down strike since June 9, reports had suggested that the Election Commission was considering authorising the deputy election commissioner, based at Poonch House in Rawalpindi, to receive nomination papers for the five constituencies of Poonch district, headquartered in Rawalakot.

The reports linked the proposal to the prevailing situation in Rawalakot, where authorities have imposed restrictions on movement in and around the town amid sit-ins by supporters of the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee at least two suburban locations since June 10.

However, Khan clarified that the proposal was merely under consideration and had not been finalised. “All candidates will have to submit their nomination papers before the returning officers of their respective constituencies,” he said.

Asked whether the commission would extend the deadline for filing nomination papers, he said no such decision had yet been taken. “If need be, it will be decided on June 19,” he added.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2026