AJK Supreme Court Grants Conditional Permission to Youth-Specific Seat Candidates

Muzaffarabad: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court has granted conditional permission to two candidates contesting for youth-specific seats in the second phase of local government elections. These candidates were initially barred by the High Court from participating in the election on the basis of their age.

The decision came following a writ petition filed in the Azad Kashmir High Court by Bilal Nawaz against the candidacy of Rizwan Khadim and Mohammad Mahfouz. The petition argued that the Azad Kashmir government had set the age limit for youth at forty years, which is contrary to the constitution. The petition contended that the age limit for youth should be thirty-five years.

Mohammad Mahfouz was nominated by the PTI, while Rizwan Khadim was nominated by the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Party for specific seats of the Municipal Corporation Rawalkot.

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Subsequently, an appeal was made in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, after due consideration, allowed these candidates conditional permission to contest in the upcoming election.

This decision by the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court marks an important development in ensuring fair representation and adherence to constitutional principles in the electoral process.