MUZAFFARABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir retired Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal on Wednesday reassured voters that the Election Commission was fully committed to holding free, fair and impartial elections in 2026, while acknowledging concerns regarding discrepancies in electoral rolls.

In a video message, Mr Mughal said all decisions of the commission were being taken strictly in accordance with the law and relevant rules, emphasising that transparency and neutrality remained its foremost priorities. Referring to public complaints, he clarified that the voter lists issued so far were preliminary and provisional, aimed at identifying errors and omissions for timely correction.

He said that due to technical issues, discrepancies had appeared in the lists and some voters had been left unregistered, with the number of such cases estimated at around 27,000. Similar issues were reported from Neelum, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Mang, Khari Sharif, Chakswari, Bagh, Dhirkot and other areas.

“As soon as the situation came to our notice, a committee comprising experts was constituted,” he said, adding that meetings were held with deputy commissioners as well as election commissioners across AJK.

The CEC said a detailed meeting was also held with the Nadra chairman, who was asked to rectify errors and ensure preparation of accurate voter lists in line with the agreement. Nadra, he added, extended full cooperation and began work immediately, while the Election Commission’s team remained present at its office to oversee progress.

He said correction work in three to four districts had already been completed, while the remaining districts were being addressed in phases. Voters would be provided with accurate and complete electoral rolls, as was done in 2016, he added.

Mr Mughal also announced an extension in the deadline for revision of voter lists, saying that three to four days were still available. He advised voters whose names had not yet been included to register directly with the revising authorities in accordance with the law.

He said a complaint regarding the votes of Jammu and Kashmir refugees based in Pakistan had been resolved, while confusion over the voting status of Mangla Dam affected persons had also been clarified. He explained that individuals displaced due to the construction of Mangla Dam in Mirpur, regardless of their current place of residence, were entitled to cast their votes there, and relevant instructions had been issued to revising authorities.

The CEC expressed hope that the electoral rolls would be finalised by May 16 or 18, adding that the deadline could be extended by a day or two if required. “It is natural for voters to feel concerned when they do not find their names on the lists,” he said, assuring that the Election Commission’s website had been made functional to provide daily updates.

He said the commission was receiving around 600 to 700 complaints through WhatsApp, phone calls and written applications, which were being addressed on a daily basis. Justice Mughal reiterated that the Election Commission would continue this process until the elections and remained committed to ensuring transparent, credible and impartial polls.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2026