MUZAFFARABAD: The Supreme Court of Azad Kashmir on Monday suspended a High Court ruling directing the Election Commission to register Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) AJK as a political party and referred the case to a full bench.
Notices were issued to all parties in the case. The next hearing was scheduled for July 2.
The AJK High Court had earlier ordered the Election Commission of AJK to register PTI AJK as a political party.
The Supreme Court has suspended that ruling until further proceedings. A full bench headed by Chief Justice Saeed Akram Raja will hear the case before issuing a final decision.
As a result, the registration of PTI AJK will remain pending.
The development comes ahead of the AJK general elections scheduled for July 27, 2026. The Election Commission has already announced the election schedule, including dates for the submission of nomination papers, scrutiny, appeals and withdrawals.
According to the latest electoral rolls, the number of registered voters has surpassed 3.8 million, marking a significant increase from the previous elections.
In a separate decision, the Supreme Court also upheld the allocation of 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees residing in Pakistan, removing a key constitutional hurdle and clearing the way for the election process to proceed.
