The first phase of elections in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) was marred by violence on Monday, with rival political parties accusing each other of electoral malpractice after a political worker was killed and several others were injured during polling conducted in illegally occupied Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) alleged that 35-year-old party worker Mukhtar Younus was shot dead during voting in Nikyal in Kotli district. The party blamed supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for the firing.“Our party worker, Mukhtar Yunus, was killed and two others injured during incidents of firing by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates,” the PPP said. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari questioned the role of the authorities after the incident.“Where are the relevant authorities? What is the Election Commission doing?” he asked.The killing intensified an already bitter contest, with the PPP and PML-N accusing each other of rigging and intimidation in several constituencies. According to local media reports, confrontations between rival supporters briefly disrupted polling at a number of booths.The Express Tribune reported that Sindh local government minister Saeed Ghani accused the PML-N of orchestrating the violence. He claimed the party had received information suggesting the firing was carried out by the PML-N candidate or his supporters and alleged that several PPP workers were also injured.More than 1.4 million voters were eligible to vote in the opening phase, which covered 13 Assembly constituencies across Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli. Around 300 candidates are in the fray. Polling for the so-called legislative assembly is being conducted in three phases until August 10.The assembly has 53 seats, of which 45 are directly elected. The remaining eight are reserved for women, technocrats and clerics.Former prime minister Imran Khan‘s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) stayed away from the elections, while the Joint Awami Action Committee remains banned following last month’s unrest.The committee had spearheaded weeks of protests demanding the abolition of 12 refugee seats in the assembly. The demonstrations, which lasted for nearly 50 days, turned violent after the government rejected the demand. According to PTI, more than 100 people were killed during the unrest. The authorities subsequently outlawed the committee.India has described the protests as the result of Islamabad’s long-standing exploitation and administrative oppression in the territory under its forcible occupation. New Delhi has also criticised reports of police action against protesters.Meanwhile, an official alleged that the electoral exercise was largely symbolic, claiming the Pakistan military had already determined the outcome. The official further alleged that the military, led by field marshal Asim Munir, intended to tighten its grip over the political landscape in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and prevent any future protest movement from gaining momentum.
