MUZAFFARABAD: The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kas­hmir (AJK) on Saturday postponed, for an unspecified period, the polling for government employees in six of the seven constituencies of Poonch and Sudhnoti districts.

The employees’ polling had earlier been scheduled for July 20 to enable government officials assigned election duties to cast their votes at polling centres established at their respective district headquarters ahead of the general elections on July 27.

According to commission sources, a majority of polling staff in the two districts had cited their inability to reach their respective headquarters due to the prevailing security situation.

Rawalakot, the headquarters of Poonch district, has been under curfew since early last month due to sit-ins by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee on its outskirts. Similarly, the situation rem­ained tense in Sudh­noti district, where at least seven people were killed in Tuesday’s violence.

Polling in LA-24 (Sudhnoti-II) has already been cancelled following the death earlier this week of independent candidate Zahid Yasin.

The commission has announced a revised schedule for fresh election proceedings in LA-24.

Nomination papers from new candidates will be rec­e­ived by the returning off­i­cer at the district headqu­a­rters in Pallandri on July 21, while scrutiny will take place on July 22.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2026