With canvassing for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) legislative elections in full swing analysts maintain that clan affiliations/biradari system will play a critical role in upcoming elections likely to take place by end of May. Sources added that almost all major political parties, including the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), are banking on local biradari loyalties to win the elections. Analysts maintain that the PPP is out of the running this time around.
The major biradaris are Gujjar, Chaoudhary, Abbasi, Raja, Sudhan and Malik, who are expected to play a dominant role in the elections yet again. According to local political observers, the biradari system is important in the area while there are also some ideological voters especially youth.
However, PTI AJK president Barrister Sultan Mehmood, who has also served as AJK prime minister, told Business Recorder that birdaradism is fast fading and the youth which make up 60 percent of the total population would bury the biradari system after a few elections. Accusing the ruling PML-N of flexing muscles for pre-poll rigging by intentionally delaying the appointing of a chief election commissioner, he said that there is no chief election commissioner to hold free, fair and transparent elections despite pressing demands of political parties for the last nine months.
He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is also head of Kashmir Council, can appoint the chief election commissioner, but instead of giving priority to constitutional matters, he has focused on announcing mega uplift schemes in a bid to rig the polls.
With elections set to take place by the end of May the government has pumped Rs one billion and an additional Rs 2 billion from funds of Kashmir Council, under the administrative control of Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Barrister Sultan stated. "If this is not pre-poll rigging, what else is it? The government ministers are frequently visiting the area, taking part in election campaigns of their party candidates. But no one is ready to appoint an independent chief election commissioner," he lamented.
Another major issue that can make the elections controversial, Barrister Sultan said that the federal government is reluctant to update final electoral rolls based on data available with National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA). "By not updating the electoral list, the government wants to deprive the youth above 18 from using their right to franchise, and they don't want to remove fake registration of votes...in these circumstances, how can we expect free and fair elections," he questioned.
He demanded the government to hold elections under the supervision of the army, adding if elections were held without updating the voters' lists it would be no different from so-called elections in Indian occupied Kashmir.
The removal of the Chief Secretary AJK Hamid Ali Khan ahead of elections is yet another wilful attempt by the federal government to rig the forthcoming elections, Barrister Sultan stated and added that the new chief secretary Muhammad Jalal Sakindar Sultan had earlier helped the government in rigging polls in Gilgit-Baltistan and now he has been given the assignment to steal the mandate of people in AJK.
He said that the new chief secretary will play an important role as AJK's head of administration in the forthcoming general elections as he is considered to be close to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and is also the son-in-law of former principal secretary Saeed Mehdi.
Secretary General Pakistan People's Party (PPP) AJK said that the federal government is using state machinery to rig the polls. He said the killing of a PPP worker over the weekend shows how serious PML-N is about holding transparent elections. At least one PPP worker was killed and four others were injured in the clash with activists from the ruling PML-N in the Nakyal area of Kotli district, some 215 kilometres from Muzaffarabad.
He accused the PML-N of resorting to dictatorial tactics, adding the ruling party had let loose armed goons to mount murderous attacks on PPP gatherings ahead of the general elections. Chaudhary Farooq, a senior PML-N leader who is also deputy opposition leader in AJK Legislative Assembly, said Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, should step down as he has failed to protect lives and properties of people.
"Instead of getting the incident investigated, the PPP wants to shift the blame on to PML-N...we are a democratic people and the upcoming elections will be free and fair. There is no truth whatsoever in misusing the state machinery for election campaigns", he maintained.