AJK Election Process Concludes: PML-N Wins 25 Seats, PPP 12, After Bagh Re-Polling

Azad Jammu & Kashmir's drawn-out 2026 Legislative Assembly election process concluded on August 15, 2026 with the announcement of results for the last two contested Bagh constituencies following re-polling at stations ordered after irregularities. PPP's Sardar Zia-ul-Qamar defeated PML-N's Mushtaq Minhas in LA-15 (Central Bagh) by 1,891 votes, while PML-N's Sardar Mir Akbar Khan won LA-16 (Eastern Bagh) by 3,833 votes. With the full count in, PML-N finishes as the largest party with 25 of the assembly's directly elected seats (and is expected to add roughly 6 more via reserved seats for women, technocrats, overseas Kashmiris, and Ulema-o-Mashaikh), placing it in a strong position to form the next AJK government; PPP takes 12 seats. The election — held in three staggered phases since late July under the shadow of the JAAC reserved-seat protest movement, which JKHRO says has killed at least 89 people since June — was the most violence-marred AJK poll in years, with 7 of 11 Poonch-division constituencies forced to postpone voting during the August 10 third phase.