PoK polls phase 3 hit by violence as seven seats are postponed

Islamabad,UPDATED: Aug 10, 2026 16:40 IST

The third phase of elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was held on Monday in four constituencies amid violence and allegations of rigging, while polls in seven constituencies were postponed indefinitely over law and order concerns.

The latest round followed two earlier phases on July 27 and August 2, which were also marked by violent protests and charges of rigging. The establishment-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has emerged as the single largest party so far with 24 seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party, its coalition partner at the Centre, has won 10 of the 34 seats contested. Elections are being held for a total of 45 seats, and the PML-N is set to form the government in the region, with the party saying its supremo Nawaz Sharif will nominate the candidate for the prime minister's post.

Polling began at 8 am in Bagh and Haveli districts of Poonch Division. Clashes between PML-N and PPP workers were reported in some areas, as the region's election commission classified most of the 803 polling stations in the four constituencies as sensitive or highly sensitive. The Election Commission said polls on seven seats in Poonch Division in the third and final phase were postponed due to concerns over the law and order situation.

The PPP alleged massive rigging by the PML-N in the third phase. In a series of posts on X, the party said roads leading to the Banni Marasira area were blocked and alleged that PML-N supporters were illegally stamping ballot papers at several polling stations across constituencies. "The officials, voters, polling agents and party workers are unable to reach the polling stations to see what is being done inside," the PPP said, adding that polling failed to begin on time at some stations because polling staff had not arrived.

The PPP also claimed that its polling agents were forcibly removed from some stations, where, it alleged, PML-N supporters were stamping ballot papers. It also posted a video that it said showed PML-N workers attacking a polling station set up at a school in LA-15 Central Bagh.

Polling in the earlier phases was also marked by violence, allegations of rigging and scuffles. A large number of people under the banner of the Joint Awami Action Committee have been protesting in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir since early June, and the regional government banned the group in June. The group's main demand was the abolition of 12 contentious refugee seats in the region. The JAAC has alleged that the establishment uses these seats to install a prime minister of its choosing in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The protests led to a severe crackdown by security forces in which dozens of people were killed. The JAAC has alleged that around 400 protesters have been killed since the first week of June and that more than 40 people were killed during the first phase of polling on July 27. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's adviser Rana Sanaullah has put the number of protesters killed in the violence in double figures.

India maintains that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are its integral and inalienable parts, and has said Pakistan has been in illegal and forcible occupation of parts of these Union Territories. The third phase of polling in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was thus held under a cloud of violence, postponements and fresh charges of rigging, after two earlier rounds that were similarly marred by unrest.

With PTI Inputs

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