Major Upset in AJK Elections as Three-Time PM Sardar Attique Loses Home Constituency

BAGH: A major political upset has emerged in the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) general elections, with Muslim Conference chief and former AJK prime minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan losing his home constituency, LA-14 Bagh.

According to unofficial and preliminary results, Jammu and Kashmir Dast-o-Bazu Party candidate Sardar Sajid Iqbal defeated Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan by a clear margin.

Media reports said polling was held on Monday in four constituencies of Bagh and Haveli, after which the counting process continued and results from various constituencies began to emerge.

According to unofficial results received from all polling stations in LA-14 Bagh, Sardar Sajid Iqbal secured 40,702 votes, while Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan received 19,542 votes.

Sardar Sajid Iqbal thus secured a lead of 21,160 votes over his rival, receiving more than twice as many votes as the former prime minister.

The result is being viewed as a significant political upset, particularly because LA-14 is considered Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan’s traditional home constituency. His father, Sardar Abdul Qayyum, had also won the seat in the past.

However, in the latest elections, the Muslim Conference chief suffered a major defeat in his own political stronghold, according to the unofficial results.