fter 26 years, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is going to hold local government elections at the end of August.

The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has recommended a three-phase election schedule for the administrative approval. As per Elections Act, the Election Commission announces an election schedule in consultation with the government.

According to the Election Commission, the necessary preparations have been completed to hold the elections. The proclamation from the Election Commission has generated a lot of enthusiasm among political workers, particularly the youth.

To ensure orderly conduct, the Election Commission has proposed polls in three phases: in Muzaffarabad division on August 20, in Mirpur division on August 25, and in the Poonch division on August 30.

President Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry has urged the Election Commission to redouble its efforts to hold the elections in line with the orders of the AJK Supreme Court. The AJK government has transferred a Rs 300 million first tranche for the expenses to be incurred in this regard.

Local government elections were last held in 1991. Those elected in these elections served until 1996. All governments after that failed to hold local elections. It is widely believed that leaders of some of the mainstream political parties were not willing to share their administrative and financial powers with local representatives. It is hoped that the revival of elected local governments will prove beneficial for the whole region. Many young people believe that the elections will pave the way for political empowerment of the youth, inclusive democracy and accountability.

As for political parties, the elections are likely to be a tough contest among the PTI, the PPP and the PML-N. The opposition parties, i.e, the PML-N and the PPP, have joined hands. However, the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, the Jamaat-i-Islami, and the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Party are running independently and hope to bag a reasonable number of seats.

The number of registered voters is 3,220,793 out of which 1.59 million are male. About 45 percent of the voters are under the ages of 35 so that none of them has ever voted in local elections. The young voters are seen widely as a potential game-changer. Several political parties, particularly the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI), are trying hard to attract the young voters. The Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, however, are seen focusing more on the older voters and operating through biradari networks.

The leader of the opposition in the AJK Legislative Assembly, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, says that the Pakistan Peoples Party-AJK will take part in the upcoming elections. He says the local government institutions should be given financial and administrative powers. Otherwise, the elected representatives will not be able to come up to the public expectations. In this connection, he has stressed the need to amending the Local Bodies Act before holding the polls.

Raja Mansoor Khan, the PTI-AJK general secretary, says the elections will promote grassroots democracy. He says 12.5 percent of the seats are reserved for women and hopes that this will facilitate their participation in politics. He says the PTI will field candidates in all villages, towns and cities and hopes to bag a lion’s share of the seats.

Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, the former prime minister and leader of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (MC), says that his party has formed local bodies parliamentary committees in every district to nominate appropriate candidates. He says the party will encourage its women cadre to contest direct elections besides filling the reserved seats.

While talking to TNS, Nabila Irshad, the Jammu Kashmir Democratic Party (JKDP) chairperson, welcomes the decision to hold the local election. “There is no restriction for women contesting general seats. I consider it a great opportunity for women and young people to participate in the election and prove their leadership skills.” She says that social media is an effective tool for spreading the party’s message among the masses. “However, we will not bank on social media alone. We will also contact the voters in person.”

Almost all political parties are employing social media volunteers to spread their message. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter are also being used for campaigning. Raja Mansoor says more than 60 percent of the young people in AJK use social media. He says the PTI has an effective network of social media teams that will help it prevail.

Samia Sajid Raja, the social media team head of the Muslim Conference (MC), too, has established a group of volunteers to run the party’s campaign on social media. Even a cursory look at the social media platforms shows that a large number of young people intend to participate in the upcoming LB elections.

“The local bodies system is about to take the central place in AJK’s political discourse. The government should realise that without adequate financial and administrative powers, it may turn out to be a futile exercise,” says Sardar Altaf Khan, a former district council member from Thorar in Poonch district.

The writer is a Rawalakot, AJ&K-based freelance contributor. She tweets @hunain_mahmood and can be reached at:hunainmehmud101@gmail.com