The three-phase polls come after weeks of violent clashes that have left several people dead and hundreds injured. Elections to the so-called legislative assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) begin on Monday amid heightened security and continuing political unrest.
Ahead of the polls, Pakistan’s Punjab province deployed 14,000 police personnel to PoK for election security. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) led protests for nearly two months, demanding, among other issues, the abolition of the 12 refugee seats. The election schedule was announced by PoK election commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal earlier this month.
The human rights commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was “deeply alarmed” by the violence in PoK, where 11 people, including four police officers, were killed and hundreds injured during clashes. The unrest has also drawn international attention, with the office of the united nations high commissioner for Human Rights expressing concern over the “wave of unrest”. UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Türk appealed for calm and said “dozens of people, mostly protesters but also law enforcement personnel, have reportedly been killed since June. ” Meanwhile, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday reinforced India’s position during his address at the Kargil War Memorial, saying there would be “no talks with Pakistan”. “If there will be talks, it will be on Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK), a part of India which it occupied illegally,” he said. Singh also accused Pakistan of making terrorism “a part of its state policy” and said Operation Sindoor had shown India could respond to any misadventure with a severity “beyond their imagination.
The polls are taking place against the backdrop of sustained unrest in the region. ” The election is also unfolding alongside political contestation in Pakistan. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is facing its coalition partner, the Pakistan People’s Party, in the PoK polls, while former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has boycotted the election.