Pakistan-administered Kashmir holds reduced final election phase

Only four Kashmir constituencies vote as unrest delays polling

Voting is under way in the third and final phase of Pakistan-administered Kashmir’s Legislative Assembly elections, but polls opened in only four of the 11 constituencies originally scheduled to vote. More than 800 polling booths in Bagh and Haveli districts opened at 8am local time on Monday and are due to close at about 5pm.

About 460,000 people are registered to vote. The reduced poll follows weeks of protests, violence and boycott calls in the region, known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Which seats are being contested

AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore of the Pakistan People’s Party is defending his seat in Haveli. In Bagh, former prime ministers Sardar Tanveer Ilyas of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party and Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan of the Muslim Conference are contesting seats.

Polling in the remaining seven constituencies — five in Poonch and two in Sudhnoti district — was postponed last week because of security concerns. Officials said a new polling date would be announced in the coming days.

Why the vote was scaled back

The postponement followed weeks of protests led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, a local pressure group demanding the abolition of 12 seats in the regional legislature reserved for displaced Kashmiris living elsewhere in Pakistan.

Residents and rights groups said more than 50 people were killed during the violence linked to the protests. The government has not released an official overall death toll, but said at least seven police and paramilitary personnel were killed.

What the wider election has shown

The JAAC has called for a boycott of the legislative elections and was banned by the authorities in June under “antiterrorism” laws. International media have also been barred from reporting from the region; reporters were told this month to leave and obtain government clearance before returning to Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The first two phases recorded turnout of 46 percent and 53 percent, respectively, below the more than 60 percent reported in both 2021 and 2016. The Mirpur division voted on July 27, while voting in the Muzaffarabad division and 12 refugee constituencies across Pakistan took place on August 2.