PoK heads to polls amid weeks of deadly clashes and political unrest - what to expect
Jaac protests, crackdown and rights concerns cast shadow Political battle intensifies Elections to the so-called legislative assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) begin on Monday amid
Jaac protests, crackdown and rights concerns cast shadow Political battle intensifies Elections to the so-called legislative assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) begin on Monday amid heightened security and continuing political unrest. The three-phase polls come after weeks of violent clashes that have left several people dead and hundreds injured.Polling for the 45 directly elected seats of the 53-member assembly will be conducted in three phases, ending on August 10. The first phase covers 13 constituencies in Mirpur division on Monday. This will be followed by polling in nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies on August 2, with the remaining 11 constituencies of Poonch division voting on August 10.Ahead of the polls, Pakistan's Punjab province deployed 14,000 police personnel to PoK for election security."The Punjab government has sent 14,000 personnel of Punjab policemen for Kashmir poll security duty on the request of the Kashmir government," a Pakistani government official told news agency PTI."Of these, 30 per cent are carrying weapons and 70 per cent are equipped with anti-riot equipment," the official added.The election schedule was announced by PoK election commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal earlier this month.The assembly comprises 53 seats, of which 45 are directly elected, while eight are reserved for women, technocrats and clerics.
Of the total seats, 12 are reserved for refugees who settled in PoK after 1947. Meanwhile, elections to the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly were held on June 7.The polls are taking place against the backdrop of sustained unrest in the region. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) led protests for nearly two months, demanding, among other issues, the abolition of the 12 refugee seats.The demonstrations escalated into violent clashes with security forces, with Pakistani authorities reporting casualties among both protesters and security personnel.Following the unrest, the regional government banned Jaac under anti-terrorism legislation and authorities arrested more than 100 people before and after the clashes, according to PTI.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.
The BriefWire