Pakistan administered Kashmir officials allege outlawed group tried to sabotage regional election
Officials said the banned group tried to derail the vote as unrest over refugee seats spread, with at least 30 people reported dead since June.
- On Monday, July 27, 2026, violent clashes during the first phase of legislative assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir killed at least one person and injured several others, disrupting polling in Mirpur and other areas.
- The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee began protests around June 5, 2026, demanding abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, arguing these seats undermine local political representation and give non-Kashmiri parties undue influence.
- Government officials accused the banned JAAC of seizing polling stations to sabotage elections, while PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari alleged that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers forcibly seized stations to steal their mandate.
- Authorities presented video footage of masked gunmen firing from rooftops to support claims of militant infiltration, though protest groups report higher casualty figures, with some sources claiming dozens died during weeks of civil unrest.
- India's Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the polls as a "cosmetic electoral exercise," while the Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir ruled the disputed refugee seats are constitutionally protected, leaving the core dispute unresolved.
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Tensions have escalated following fresh violence amid weeks of protests in PoK. According to several reports, more than 80 people have been killed in the protests that began on June 5th and the subsequent military crackdown. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a controversial statement.
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PoK violence: 20 dead in clashes over rigged elections, JAAC says
Violence has escalated in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with clashes reported between protesters and authorities. Activists are protesting against alleged rigged elections and undue interference from Islamabad. The Joint Awami Action Committee claims at least twenty people have died in the ongoing unrest.
Associated Press News
Pakistan administered Kashmir officials allege outlawed group tried to sabotage regional election
Officials in Pakistan administered Kashmir are accusing an outlawed political group of trying to sabotage elections for the region’s constitutional assembly.
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