One Killed, Three Injured in Firing During First Phase of AJK Elections

Kotli: Violence marred the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections on Monday, leaving one person dead and three others injured in separate incidents.

Polling was held in 13 constituencies across Mirpur, Kotli, and Bhimber. Voting officially ended at 5:00 p.m., with an additional hour granted for voters already in queues. Vote counting is currently underway, and unofficial results continue to emerge.

In the Nikyal area of Kotli, one person was killed and three others were injured in a firing incident during the polling process.

PPP candidate for LA-9, Javed Budhanvi, claimed that the deceased, identified as Mukhtiar, was a worker of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Separately, unrest was reported at the Baba Shadi Shaheed Shrine polling station in Bhimber, where miscreants allegedly snatched a ballot box and set it on fire.

According to the District Returning Officer (DRO), the destroyed ballot box contained 232 votes, adding that legal action will be taken against those responsible.

In another incident, clashes were reported at three polling stations in LA-6. Police said that armed individuals also attempted to seize ballot boxes from polling staff, but the situation was brought under control.