AJK sets October 12 poll for Kashmir Council seats

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission has announced the schedule for elections to four vacant seats of the Kashmir Council, with polling set for October 12 at the Legislative Assembly Hall in Muzaffarabad. The announcement was reported by Business Recorder and Dunya News.

Under the schedule, candidates may submit their nomination papers to the secretary of the Election Commission on October 1 from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Scrutiny of the nomination papers will be conducted on October 2 at 10:00am.

Candidates whose nomination papers are rejected during scrutiny may file appeals on October 5 from 9:00am to noon. Those appeals will be heard on October 6 from 9:00am to 12:30pm, and decisions are to be announced the same day. Candidates may withdraw their nomination papers by October 7, and the final list of candidates will be issued on October 9.

Polling for the four seats will be held at the Legislative Assembly Hall on October 12 from 10:00am to 1:00pm, with counting of votes and announcement of results to follow immediately.

The timetable allows less than two weeks between the start of nominations on October 1 and polling on October 12. It does not state the reason for the four vacancies or who is eligible to vote in the contest.

Radio Pakistan, in a separate report, said polling for the AJK President would take place in Muzaffarabad on Thursday. That report did not explain how the presidential election related to the Kashmir Council seat schedule, and neither Business Recorder nor Dunya News mentioned a presidential poll. Skardu Times has sought clarification from the AJK Election Commission.