PoK polls: PML-N wins first phase as rigging and violence charges mount

Islamabad,UPDATED: Jul 28, 2026 18:02 IST

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won nine of the 13 seats decided in the first phase of elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), according to preliminary results issued by the region's Election Commission on Tuesday. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) won the remaining four seats, but the first phase of polling, held on Monday, was overshadowed by allegations of large-scale rigging and violence.

The elections for 45 contested seats in the so-called legislative assembly in PoK are being held in three phases between July 27 and August 10. On Tuesday, India described the exercise as an attempt by Islamabad to cover up its illegal occupation of the region and conceal what it called grave human rights violations.

According to the preliminary results, the PML-N led by Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif emerged ahead in nine constituencies, while the PPP led by the Bhuttos secured four seats. Both parties are coalition partners in Pakistan's federal government. The contest in PoK is mainly between the two because former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has boycotted the polls.

There are 53 seats in the so-called PoK legislative assembly. Of these, 45 are directly elected, while eight are reserved for women, technocrats and clerics. Alleging rigging in seven seats, PPP senior leader Nayyar Bokhari said, "Our winning seats have been gifted to the PML-N." Other senior PPP leaders have asked the Election Commission not to announce the results until allegations of rigging in some constituencies are investigated. Rana Sanaullah, adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, rejected the allegations and said the elections were largely held in a "peaceful and fair" manner, with violence reported in one constituency.

A PPP worker was killed and two others were injured in a violent clash on polling day, allegedly triggered by an incident of firing by a PML-N leader. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a group banned by the so-called government in PoK, said on Tuesday that at least 14 of its activists were killed and more than two dozen injured in clashes with law-enforcement personnel during the first phase of the elections. Law-enforcement authorities, however, disputed the death toll and accused JAAC protesters of opening fire on security personnel.

The elections are being held after nearly two months of unrest in the region, in which several people were killed. The violence was triggered by protests led by the JAAC, which demanded the abolition of 12 contentious refugee seats and was followed by a security crackdown. India maintains that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of it, and that Pakistan remains in "illegal and forcible occupation" of parts of these Union Territories. Echoing that position on Tuesday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi, "The current cosmetic electoral exercise is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and hide its grave human rights violations in the region." Earlier, on July 14, India had described the protests in PoK as a "direct consequence" of Islamabad's decades-long "systemic exploitation and administrative oppression" in areas under its "forcible" occupation.

With PTI Inputs

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