The Jamaat-e-Islami Azad Jammu and Kashmir has cancelled the party membership of JI candidate Abdur Rashid Turabi, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.

The move came after the JI candidate from LA-15 Bagh withdrew in favour of the PTI candidate.

JI AJK President Dr Khalid Mahmood Khan announced the decision with cancel Turabi’s membership.

Security arrangements

At least 43,500 personnel of AJK police, civil armed forces from other provinces and the army will be deployed to maintain law and order during the upcoming general elections, in what is being said to be the heaviest troops’ deployment in any AJK polls.

“In order to hold free, fair, transparent and impartial electoral exercise, the administration under the directions of the AJK Election Commission is laying main emphasis on ensuring law and order so as to provide a peaceful atmosphere to both the contesting candidates and the voters,” said AJK chief secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan at a media briefing the other day.

He said free, fair and transparent elections were a constitutional and legal obligation and government machinery was required to assist the election commission in this regard, under Article 50 of the AJK Constitution and section 5 of AJK Elections Act, 2020.

Reporter Zahid Bashir Chaudhry