General elections were held in Azad Kashmir on 11 July 2006 to elect the members of eighth assembly of Azad Kashmir. Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan and Raja Zulqarnain Khan were elected as Prime Minister and President of Azad Kashmir, respectively.[1]
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41 of the 49 seats in the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly 25 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Map of Azad Kashmir showing Assembly Constituencies and winning parties | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results
editThe All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (AJKMC) won twenty general seats, the Pakistan People's Party seven, the People's Muslim League (PML) four the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) two, and the Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party (JKPP) one. Six independents also won seats, although three of them joined the AJKMC after the election. LA-33 Jammu and Others-IV had its election postponed by four days, which saw another AJKMC victory. Following the elections, the AJKMC managed to win four seats reserved for women and one reserved seat each for ulema, technocrats, and overseas. On the other hand, the PPP only won one reserved seat for women.[2][3][4]
Therefore, the AJKMC managed to have thirty-one members in the Assembly, the PPP eight, the PML four, independents three, the MQM two, and the JKPP one.[5]
Aftermath
editThe AJKMC formed the next government in Azad Kashmir, easily electing its leader, Attique Ahmed Khan, as the next Prime Minister. Khan had received 35 votes and defeated Sahibzada Muhammad Ishaq Zaffar of the PPP, who received only eight votes. The AJKMC was also able to elect Shah Ghulam Qadir and Sardar Farooq Tahir as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, respectively.[6][7]
Controversies
editCandidates from the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front and other pro-independence groups were not allowed to run; local law prohibits persons expressing views counter to "the ideology of Pakistan, the ideology of the State’s accession to Pakistan or the sovereignty, integrity of Pakistan" from running for office. Opposition groups saw the vote as rigged in favour of the Pakistani federal government.[8][2]
References
edit- ^ "Azad Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly". Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Ruling MC secures 20 seats, AJKPP 7: Manipulation of results alleged". DAWN.COM. 13 July 2006.
- ^ Lansford, Tom (9 June 2023). Political Handbook of the World 2022-2023. CQ Press. ISBN 978-1-0718-5305-4.
- ^ Shekhawat, Seema (2007). "Electoral Politics in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir". India Quarterly. 63 (3): 145–167. ISSN 0974-9284. JSTOR 45073208.
- ^ "Attique, Zaffar in run for PM". DAWN.COM. 23 July 2006. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Ishaq Zafar dies of heart attack". DAWN.COM. 3 September 2006. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Atiq Ahmed Khan elected new PM of PoK". Hindustan Times. 24 July 2006. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ ""With Friends Like These…" Human Rights Violations in Azad Kashmir". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 9 August 2018.