PTI keeps its options open on Azad and Kashmir poll participation
PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan told reporters that the party's decision to boycott the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections was reached after discussions with its parliamentary members, allied parties and the PTI leadership in AJK.
He said the lack of a fair political atmosphere had forced the party to stay away from the polls. He also, made it clear that the decision was not irreversible.
He said PTI could review its stance if authorities ensured a level playing field and ended the arrests and alleged crackdown on the party's leaders and workers.
Emphasizing the party's commitment to the democratic process, he described the boycott as a reluctant step rather than a preferred course of action, saying PTI would be willing to rejoin the electoral contest if political conditions improved.
His remarks came just four days after the party officially declared it would not participate in the AJK Legislative Assembly elections set for July 27.
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Earlier, PTI's AJK president and former prime minister of the region, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, said the boycott was intended to express solidarity with the people of AJK amid what the party called a worsening political and humanitarian situation, insisting the move was not driven by electoral considerations.
The announcement followed weeks of political unrest after the AJK government outlawed the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) under anti-terrorism laws.
Despite the ban, JAAC has continued demonstrations, with confrontations between protesters and security personnel resulting in multiple fatalities.
Officials and the protest group have issued conflicting accounts of the death toll.
PTI has argued that the detention of its workers, curbs on media reporting and disruptions to supply routes from Punjab have undermined the conditions needed for a free and credible election.
The party has also put on hold the process of issuing election tickets to prospective candidates in AJK until it reassesses the political situation.
Separately, PTI's legal position in AJK remains uncertain. The AJK High Court had previously restored the party's registration and directed that its electoral symbol, the bat, be reinstated after the AJK Election Commission sought to withdraw it.
The election commission later appealed that ruling before the AJK Supreme Court, which postponed proceedings on July 3.
With the court in summer recess until October 7, the case is not expected to be resolved before voting takes place.
