Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday announced that it would not participate in the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, saying the decision was taken in solidarity with the people of the region and in line with what it described as its “principled stance” under the prevailing circumstances.

The announcement came as the situation in AJK remained tense after the government banned the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), with the group continuing its sit-in and vowing to sustain the protest until its “legitimate demands” are met.

“Expressing unwavering solidarity with the aspirations of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, their right to self-determination, and their democratic rights, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has decided not to participate in the elections under the prevailing circumstances,” the party’s Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said in a statement posted on X.

He said the decision was not a political strategy but an expression of solidarity with the Kashmiri people and a principled stance.

More to follow…