PoK polls turn violent as one dies amid rigging charges

Islamabad,UPDATED: Jul 27, 2026 22:44 IST

At least one person was killed and several others injured in violent clashes on Monday during the polling for the first phase of elections to the so-called legislative assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), with rival parties also accusing each other of rigging.

India has maintained that Pakistan has been in illegal possession of the Indian Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The elections, originally scheduled for July 27, are being held in three phases from July 27 to August 10.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said one of its workers, Mukhtar Yunus, was killed and two others were injured in firing by candidates of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). In a statement, the party said, "Our party worker, Mukhtar Yunus, was killed and two others injured during incidents of firing by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates."

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed grief over the death and asked, "Where are the relevant authorities? What is the Election Commission doing?"

Both the PPP and PML-N accused each other of rigging in multiple constituencies. The electoral process was also briefly interrupted at some polling stations after scuffles and heated exchanges between supporters of rival political parties.

There are 53 seats in the so-called assembly of PoK. Of these, 45 are directly elected, while eight seats are reserved for women, technocrats and clerics.

While Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has boycotted the polls, the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has been banned. According to Khan's party, more than 100 people were killed in violent clashes in PoK after last month's JAAC protests, which paralysed life in the region for about 50 days.

The JAAC's main demand was the abolition of the 12 refugee seats, but the government refused to accept it. Dozens of people, including security personnel, were killed in the violence, after which the government banned the JAAC last month.

India 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, and criticised reported police brutality against protesters. The polling day in the first phase of the elections was marked by violence, allegations of rigging and renewed political tensions in the region.

With PTI Inputs

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