The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced that it will not participate in the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections under the prevailing circumstances. The party emphasized that the decision is not a political strategy but a principled expression of solidarity with the people of Kashmir amid ongoing unrest.
Core Committee Meeting and Statement
The decision was announced in a statement issued after a meeting of the party's core committee, which expressed concerns over the deepening political and humanitarian crisis in AJK. The statement noted that sit-ins were continuing in Rawalakot and other areas in support of public demands, while the use of force had resulted in the loss of precious lives.
The party also alleged that disruptions in the supply of food and other essential commodities had added to the hardships faced by residents, and that AJK's constitutional, democratic, and political identity was being undermined. According to the statement, actions against political workers, arrests, restrictions on freedom of expression, and curbs on the media had created an environment in which the electoral process had lost its transparency and credibility.
Demands and Conditions
PTI called for the issues surrounding the now-proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) to be resolved through dialogue and mutual understanding, urging the authorities to address its demands in a fair manner. The party also demanded a review of the election schedule and called for all political parties to be provided with a free, fair, and peaceful environment in which to contest the polls.
The statement said the party would stay away from the electoral process until normalcy was restored in the region. PTI also announced that its parliamentary board had immediately suspended all recommendations relating to party tickets, while the issuance of tickets to prospective candidates had been deferred until further notice.
PTI Registration Dispute in AJK Supreme Court
Meanwhile, the AJK Supreme Court deferred hearing on the election commission's application seeking ex parte ad interim relief against a high court order directing the PTI's provisional registration. A full bench comprising Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram, Justice Raza Ali Khan, and Justice Khalid Yousaf Chaudhary ruled that the Election Commission's application would be heard together with its petition for leave to appeal (PLA) once the appeal completes scrutiny at the Supreme Court registry. However, the court did not fix a date for the hearing.
The apex court decided to hear the commission's interim application together with the main petition for leave to appeal after completion of the scrutiny process. With the AJK Supreme Court scheduled to begin its summer recess on Monday, which will continue until October 7, the case is now unlikely to be heard before the July 25 general elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
