AJK elections 2026: PML-N, PPP 'make' progress in talks

Following rigging allegations in AJK elections 2026, negotiations between the P and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have made progress, with another round of talks scheduled for Frday (today), according to sources.

The PPP delegation will be represented by Senator Nayyar Bukhari, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Nadeem Afzal Chan, while the government’s negotiating team will comprise Rana Sanaullah, Amir Muqam and Murtaza Javed Abbasi, sources said.

According to sources, the previous meeting focused extensively on the recent elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

During the discussions, the PPP conveyed its reservations regarding the electoral process and presented what it described as evidence of alleged rigging in four constituencies of Mirpur Division.

The constituencies of Chaudhry Yasin, Javed Budhanvi, Pervez Ashraf and Chaudhry Ikhlaq were among those highlighted during the talks, sources added.

The PPP is also expected to press for transparent elections in Muzaffarabad Division and on the migrant (Muhajir) seats during the latest round of negotiations.

Following the previous meeting, the PPP negotiating team briefed Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on the outcome of the discussions.

Read more: Bilawal warns ‘countdown will begin’ if AJK mandate is stolen

Party leadership expressed confidence in the ongoing dialogue with the government and, after internal consultations, gave the green light for another round of negotiations, according to party sources.

Political temperature is running high between the PML-N and PPP as the Bilawal-led party levelled allegations of rigging.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has urged PTI to abandon the politics of boycott and said he is extending his hand to the party’s “serious politicians,” ARY News reported.

Addressing a public gathering in Muzaffarabad, Bilawal said, “I tell the PTI people, if you want to boycott then sit at home. I tell them, don’t boycott, contest the elections, do your work.”

The PPP chairman said the right to self-determination cannot be complete without protecting the vote. “If our mandate is stolen in Azad Kashmir, then your countdown will begin in the center,” he warned.

He said evidence of rigging in the Mirpur elections has been presented and videos have also surfaced. “Don’t think that we will let you steal the election. If you do justice, there will be justice. If you commit rigging, then it won’t be good for you either,” Bilawal said.