Daily Times

Candidates belonging to various political parties, especially PML (N) and PTI, including independent candidates filed their nomination papers with the returning officers of their respective areas on Saturday to contest the election to the offices of Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, Mayors and Deputy Mayors of the newly-elected local bodies including District Councils, Municipal Corporations, Municipal Committees, Union Councils in all ten districts of Azad Jammu Kashmir.

Elections to the heads of the civic bodies are scheduled to be held on March 02, as announced by Azad Jammu Kashmir Election Commission.

In Mirpur district, the candidates for the slots of Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, Mayor, Deputy Mayor of the civic bodies filed their respective nomination papers with the District Returning officer / Additional District & Session judge Mirpur District.

Raja Naveed Akhter son of Raja Akhter Ali has been elected unopposed as Chairman of District Council Mirpur. No any other candidate filed the nomination papers to this office against Raja Naveed Akhter. The newly-elected Chairman District Council Raja Naveed Akhter belonged to Kashmir PTI. And at the same time three candidates are in the run to contest the election to the office of Mayor of Mirpur Municipal Corporation.

Those who filed the nomination papers for the Mayorship of Mirpur include Shafique Ahmed Khan s/o Muhammad Aziz Khan, Chaudhry Abdul Razaq s/o Ch. Karam Elahi and Usman Ali Khalid s/o Chaudhry Khalid Hussain (former Chairman MCM). Usman Ali Khalid is the nominee of Kashmir PTI, Ch. Abdul Razaq reportedly belonged to PML (N) and Sardar Shafique Ahmed, Independent candidate – but an alleged dissident belonging to the Kashmir PTI – as he was considered to be the potential candidate of the AJK chapter of the PTI according to the observers.