Ruling party leads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir elections despite boycott calls
Pakistan's ruling party has taken a commanding lead in elections for the legislative assembly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to results from the first two phases of voting announced on Wednesday. The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, won 24 of the 34 seats decided so far, said Raja Shakeel, a spokesman for the regional election commission. Turnout exceeded 56 per cent in the regional capital, Muzaffarabad, and crossed 50 per cent in many other areas.
The remaining 11 seats are scheduled to be decided on August 10. If the trend holds, the PML-N will form the next regional government, marking its return to power in the region after a decade. The election is being held in three phases due to security concerns and heavy monsoon rains, which officials say have complicated campaigning and made it difficult to hold large outdoor rallies.
The elections were held against a backdrop of weeks of protests and a boycott call by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a group recently banned by the regional government. Authorities accuse the group of attempting to disrupt the electoral process and allege that members of the Pakistani Taliban had infiltrated the protests. The JAAC has not responded to these allegations. The group, formed in 2023, demands greater political rights for the people of Kashmir. The government says it has accepted 36 of the group's 38 demands, adding that the issue of reserved seats can only be resolved by the assembly.
The controversy centres on 12 seats reserved for people displaced from Indian-administered Kashmir since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. The JAAC argues that these seats give disproportionate political influence to people living outside Pakistan-administered Kashmir and has demanded their abolition. However, in June, the region's Supreme Court ruled that the seats are protected under the constitution and cannot be abolished without a constitutional amendment. The seats were created to ensure representation for people who were displaced from Indian-administered Kashmir and settled elsewhere in Pakistan, as the region initially lacked the capacity to accommodate them. Many of these displaced people have lived in Pakistan for decades, while others later moved to Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Kashmir remains a flashpoint between India and Pakistan, with both countries claiming the Himalayan region in its entirety. The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Analysts said the election reinforced public confidence in the democratic process, with voters choosing to cast ballots despite weeks of protests, violence, and the boycott campaign. Residents who voted said they exercised their right to vote despite fears of violence. The PML-N's victory is seen as a reflection of public support for the party's governance agenda, though the legitimacy of the electoral process itself has been questioned internationally in the context of the broader Kashmir dispute.
The results are likely to be closely watched by India, which has consistently objected to Pakistan's administration of the region and its holding of elections there. India considers the entire territory of Kashmir to be an integral part of its own territory and has called for a resolution of the dispute through bilateral talks. The election outcome is expected to strengthen the PML-N's position in the region, but the challenges of governance and the unresolved political tensions remain significant.
