New AJK Legislative Assembly Sworn In After Reserved-Seat Polls; PML-N Poised to Form Government

Azad Jammu & Kashmir's 12th Legislative Assembly was sworn in on August 24, 2026, capping a drawn-out, four-phase 2026 election process. Polling for the final seven reserved seats (five for women, one for technocrats, one for Ulema-o-Mashaikh) was held from 10am to 1pm at the Legislative Assembly Hall in Muzaffarabad, following nomination scrutiny and appeals held August 20-22 and candidate withdrawals completed August 23; PML-N's Abdul Rehman Arain had already been elected unopposed to the reserved seat for overseas Kashmiris on August 20 after no rival candidate filed papers. The 53-member assembly's oath-taking ceremony followed at 2pm. With its 25 directly-elected seats plus reserved-seat gains and the backing of the Awam Dast-e-Bazu group, PML-N's strength is expected to reach 33 seats, positioning it to form the next AJK government; the speaker and deputy speaker elections are set for August 25 and the prime minister election for August 27, with PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir and Secretary General Chaudhry Tariq Farooq both in contention pending a final decision by Pakistan PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif. Coalition partner PPP, which won 12 seats, has accused PML-N of rigging and violence during the election, which was the most violence-marred AJK poll in years amid the JAAC reserved-seat reform protest movement that rights groups say has killed dozens since June.