Elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir: Violence and protests overshadow the vote
Scheduled for July 27, the elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have been split into three days due to weeks of deadly protests. The banned JAAC movement calls for a boycott, demanding the abolition of 12 reserved seats for refugees.
Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir – The capital is festooned with election bunting but the territory has been rocked by protests and sit-ins since early June, leaving dozens dead. The July 27 election was divided into three voting days: July 27 for Mirpur division, August 2 for Muzaffarabad and 12 refugee-reserved seats, and August 10 for Poonch division, the hotbed of unrest, due to security concerns.
The protests are led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), banned in June. Its core demand is to scrap the 12 reserved seats for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan, arguing they give outsiders influence. JAAC members who attempted to run as independents had their nominations rejected, and the group urges a boycott.
Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal said security concerns prompted the schedule change, especially in Poonch. Other officials insist daily life is normal, but internet services remain suspended, banks closed for weeks, and access to Poonch restricted. The refugee seats, dating to the 1960s, can only be abolished by constitutional amendment, according to the AJK Supreme Court.
Campaigning was effectively dead in June due to protests, resuming only in the last days. A political analyst noted that the reserved seats have rarely determined which party forms the government. However, the call for boycott and social divisions between pro- and anti-JAAC families may reduce voter turnout.
