Imran Khan's PTI party wins 25 seats in PoK polls amid rigging allegations

The Pakistan occupied Kashmir Legislative Assembly has a total of 53 members but only 45 are directly elected. The PTI has won 25 general seats.

File Photo (IANS)

Islamabad: Amid allegations of poll rigging by the Opposition, Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party has won 25 of 45 seats in Pakistan occupied Kashmir legislative assembly elections marred by deadly violence. The PoK assembly has a total of 53 members but only 45 are directly elected.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has won 25 general seats of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) Legislative Assembly, followed by 11 seats won by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), six by Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) and one each by two regional political parties in Sunday`s polls, as per officially announcement made on Monday, as per Dawn report.

The result of one constituency, LA-16 Bagh-III, was however withheld as polling in four of its stations could not be held due to rioting and other reasons, Chief Election Commissioner Abdul Rashid Sulehria said at a press conference in the central control room in Muzaffarabad, adding that re-polling at these stations was most likely to be held before July 29.

Sulehria said Sunday`s polling was "by and large peaceful" except for one tragic incident in Kotli which claimed two lives.

"The arrangements we made for the polls and the way we conducted them ... I can say we have fulfilled our responsibility by holding free, fair and impartial elections," he asserted, Dawn further reported.

Meanwhile, an Open revolt was witnessed in PoK as thousands of demonstrators hit the streets to protest against the Pakistan army after reports of election manipulation.

Earlier, Prime Minister of PoK Raja Farooq Haider in a statement said: "The assembly elections were nothing but a farce exercise to hoodwink the people."

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz has outrightly refused to accept the results. Taking to Twitter, PML-N Vice-President said that her party fought hard but it is not easy to deal with fraud.

"I have not accepted the results and will not. I have not even acknowledged the results of this fake government. Congratulations to the workers and voters. What will be the course of action on this shameless fraud, the party will decide soon, God willing," Maryam tweeted.

PPP`s vice-president Senator Sherry Rehman had blamed the Centre for "systematic rigging" and said it was attempting to "steal" the elections.

The PPP leader alleged PTI workers had fired on a PPP worker`s car during polling time, while police had uprooted a camp belonging to her party.

PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb in a statement said that PTI "goons" had attacked her party`s workers in Gujranwala`s Alipur Chatha area to "rig" the election. Aurangzeb said despite PTI workers beating up her party workers, the police "arrested those associated with PML-N".

"PTI has been allowed to engage in hooliganism with complete liberty," she said.

Last year, India had criticised Pakistan`s decision to hold elections in the Legislative Assembly election in occupied Gilgit-Baltistan. New Delhi has maintained that any action to alter the status of the militarily occupied region has no legal basis. The main opposition parties had termed the occupied Gilgit-Baltistan election rigged.