MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission announced on Friday that general elections in the region would be held on July 27.

The notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said that candidates could file their nomination papers with returning officers from June 9 to 4pm on June 19. It said that the scrutiny of nomination papers would be carried out from June 20, while the list of the eligible candidates would be submitted on the same day.

It stated that the candidates will have between June 21 and June 24 to file appeals against rejection/acceptance of nomination papers, and the appeals will be heard on June 26 and 27 between 9am and 4pm.

According to the notification, the last date for decisions on appeals will be June 28 to June 29, and candidates can withdraw their nomiation papers until June 30 before 2pm.

The list of contesting candidates will be published on July 1, and symbols will be allotted along with the final list the next day on July 2.

July 27 was notified as the polling day, with voting to begin at 8am and end at 5pm.

Speaking at a press conference held to announce the election schedule, Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, flanked by constitutional member Syed Nazeerul Hassan Gillani, Secretary Raja Shakeel Khan and other officials, said the elections would be held under the supervision of the army, paramilitary and civil armed forces.

“Let me reiterate that the elections will be free, fair and transparent. We will make every effort to ensure that voters can exercise their right to vote freely,” he said.

Referring to concerns raised in some quarters about the commission’s ability to hold the elections, he said the commission had remained ready from day one to fulfil its constitutional responsibility.

“Holding elections is our constitutional obligation, and we have been fully prepared to discharge that responsibility in letter and spirit,” he said.

Justice Mughal said error-free electoral rolls were the cornerstone of free, fair, impartial and credible elections.

He acknowledged that the introduction of a computerised voters’ list system had initially led to complaints about errors, including the transfer of votes from one constituency to another.

“While errors in the preliminary rolls could not be ruled out, the tireless efforts of the administration, election officials and the exemplary cooperation of Nadra helped us rectify omissions and inaccuracies,” he said.

“I can now say that 99 per cent of the electoral rolls are transparent and free from errors, providing a sound basis for credible elections,” he added.

The chief election commissioner also announced an immediate ban on postings, transfers and the creation of new posts. He said transfers and postings in unavoidable cases would require prior approval from the commission.

Similarly, he said, approval of new development schemes, as well as the release of electricity poles and water supply pipes — practices often viewed as pre-poll inducements — had also been prohibited. However, projects already included in the Annual Development Programme would continue without interruption.

On the 12 constituencies reserved for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan, Justice Mughal said that elections on those seats had previously been conducted under judicial supervision, but after the judiciary withdrew from the process the responsibility would now be carried out by officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Justice Mughal, who also served as chief election commissioner from 2016 to 2019, expressed confidence that the upcoming elections would be as peaceful and transparent as those held in 2016.

Responding to a question about the ongoing protests by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), he said a prolonged agitation could affect the electoral process.

“If the protests or sit-ins continue for a longer period, they may have an impact on election-related activities. In such a situation, the Election Commission has the authority to make necessary adjustments to the election schedule,” he said.

“Elections will be held when the situation is conducive,” he added.

The last elections in the region were held in July 2021.

The number of registered voters in AJK has increased by more than half a million over the past five years, according to fresh electoral rolls released by the region’s Election Commission on Thursday.

The latest voter lists show that the electorate in AJK’s 45 constituencies has risen to 3,804,385, up from 3,220,546 in the 2021 elections — an increase of 583,839 voters.

Of the total electorate, 3,365,839 voters are registered in the 33 constituencies within AJK, while 438,546 are registered in the 12 constituencies in Pakistan reserved for refugees from occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Figures released by the commission showed that the overall electorate comprises 2,001,730 male voters and 1,802,655 female voters.

Among the territorial constituencies, LA-7 Bhimber-III has the largest electorate with 129,994 voters, followed by LA-31 Muzaffarabad-V with 128,177 voters and LA-12 Kotli-V with 126,332 voters. The smallest constituency is LA-30 Muzaffarabad-IV, with 68,228 voters.