MUZAFFARABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) appeared to be on its way to forming the next government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on its own, with unofficial and unverified results indicating it was well ahead of its rivals with 45 general seats in the Legislative Assembly.
According to unofficial results collected until late Sunday night from candidates and Election Commission sources, the PTI won in 25 constituencies, nine of which were in Pakistan, followed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in 11 constituencies (one of which was in Pakistan) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in six constituencies (two of which were in Pakistan).
PTI’s regional leader Barrister Sultan Mahmood was one of the winners, securing his seventh victory in the nine general elections conducted in LA-3, Mirpur-III since 1985. In addition to the nine general elections, this seat had two by-elections, both of which he won. The general elections of 1991 and 2016 were the only ones he did not win.
In a speech to his supporters in Mirpur, Mr Mahmood thanked Kashmiris for their faith in his party, which he said was on its way to forming a stable administration in the freed region. He credited the PTI’s triumph to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “vision” and the PML-“worst-ever N’s government performance.”