Azad Kashmir Spectator

MUZAFFARABAD, June 16: The AJK Election Commission has withdrawn its earlier decision to punch a small hole in the computerised national identity cards (CNIC) of voters due to some ‘unavoidable reasons’, raising fears of double polling by thousands of people who have got themselves enlisted at more than one place.According to an amended law, production of CNIC is a must for the voter to obtain his/her ballot paper and the EC had initially announced that it would use special machines to punch a (small) hole in the CNIC in order to foil double voting.However, the commission retracted its announcement the other day on the grounds that it was impracticable for two reasons: firstly, the punching machines were not available in Pakistan and secondly a big majority of electorate had serious reservations against getting their CNIC punched.

SIALKOT - Socio-political circles and refugees settled in various parts of Sialkot have strongly apposed the interference of government and Pakistani political parties in the forthcoming general elections of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.“Political parties and government have no right to poke their nose in internal political affairs of AJK as well as to patronise the turncoats by Pakistani political parties,” they said. “It is very unfortunate that some top leaders including the Punjab Governor and ministers openly seeking support and bagging vote for the candidates nominated by the PPP contesting from Pakistan. Why they are active in AJK elections?” they questioned.

ISLAMABAD - A candidate of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Azad Jammu and Kashmir AJK, on Wednesday withdrew on LA-35 (Jammu-IV from Rawalpindi, Attock and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) in favour of Sardar Abdul Razzaq, Muslim Conference candidate, while six independent candidates withdrew in favour of Raja Siddique, candidate of PML-N in the same constituency.

MUZAFFARABAD (June 10) : At least 14 children were killed and three others wounded when the bus taking them to school plunged into a canal in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday, an official said. Assistant Commissioner Bhimber Ali Asghar said the accident took place in Head Ali Baig town of AJK.

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Kashmir government announced Monday an overall consolidated tax-free budget of Rs44.55 billion for the fiscal year 2011-12 with a development outlay of over Rs8.28 billion and a deficit of 5.06 billion.Azad Kashmir Finance Minister Abdul Rasheed Abbasi presented the budget in the AJK Legislative Assembly as the last budget of this government since the general elections in AJK are scheduled to be held on June 26.

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to bring a paradigm shift in the politics of the AJK region, particularly in the upcoming elections in Azad Kashmir, the PPP and PML-Q Wednesday decided to extend their coalition to Azad Jammu and Kashmir, agreeing to support each other’s candidates in the elections.