AJK Elections 2026: Five Former Prime Ministers Enter High-Stakes Battle in Key Constituencies

MUZAFFARABAD — Political heat in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has reached a boiling point as voting begins in the Mirpur Division in the first phase of the regional general elections. The electoral landscape across all three divisions is dominated by high-stakes battles involving five former Prime Ministers testing their political heavyweights across crucial assembly seats.

Key Takeaways

• Electoral Phase 1: Voting kicks off in Mirpur Division before moving to Muzaffarabad and Poonch.

• High-Stakes Contest: Five former premiers—Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, Raja Farooq Haider, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, and Sardar Tanveer Ilyas—are in the arena.

• Triple-Seat Gambit: IPP’s Sardar Tanveer Ilyas is contesting simultaneously from three distinct constituencies (LA-15, LA-22, and LA-25).

Heavyweight Matchups Across AJK Assembly Constituencies

LA-17 Bagh: Incumbent Premier Defends Home Turf

Incumbent AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore is defending his parliamentary seat at LA-17 Bagh-4. He faces a tough triangular contest against:

• Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz (PML-N)

• Amir Nazeer (Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party – IPP)

LA-32 Muzaffarabad: The Capital’s Battleground

In Muzaffarabad’s most critical constituency, LA-32, senior PML-N leader and former Prime Minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan is locked in a fierce head-to-head battle with Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) candidate Ashfaq Zafar.

LA-14 Bagh-1: Muslim Conference Chief in Action

Former Prime Minister and All Jammu & Kashmir Muslim Conference (AJKMC) chief Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan is contesting from LA-14 Bagh-1. He is directly challenged by PML-N’s Raja Faisal Azad.

LA-7 Bhimber-3: Independent Former Premier vs. PML-N

Former Prime Minister and sitting Speaker Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq is contesting as an independent candidate from LA-7 Bhimber-3. He faces a direct challenge from PML-N veteran Chaudhry Tariq Farooq.

Sardar Tanveer Ilyas’s Triple Constituency Campaign

Former Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, running on the IPP ticket, has adopted an aggressive strategy by contesting from three separate constituencies:

+-------------------+-----------------------------+------------------------------------+
| Constituency      | Key Opponent (PML-N)        | Key Opponent (PPP)                 |
+-------------------+-----------------------------+------------------------------------+
| LA-15 Bagh-2      | Mushtaq Minhas              | Zia-ul-Haq Qamar                   |
| LA-22 Poonch-2    | Shah Ghulam Qadir           | Ahmad Sageer                       |
| LA-25 Neelum-1    | Shah Ghulam Qadir           | Abdul Waheed                       |
+-------------------+-----------------------------+------------------------------------+