SRINAGAR: The first phase of elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, referred to by India as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), has been overshadowed by deadly violence, allegations of excessive use of force by security agencies and growing international concern over an extended communications blackout, with conflicting accounts emerging over the number of casualties and the circumstances surrounding the clashes.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to immediately restore internet and mobile communications and launch an independent investigation into reports that security forces used lethal force against protesters in Rawalakot, where violence erupted on the opening day of polling.
According to the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil rights movement outlawed by Pakistani authorities, at least 25 protesters were killed on Monday and five more on Tuesday after security personnel allegedly opened fire on peaceful demonstrators participating in protests against the electoral process.
The casualty figures, however, remain disputed.
Pakistani authorities have rejected the allegations, insisting that security forces came under attack from armed protesters and responded in self-defence. Officials said one Rangers personnel was killed and several police officers were injured during the clashes. They said they could not independently verify the civilian death toll claimed by the JAAC and alleged that armed militants had infiltrated the protests.
Reacting to reports from Rawalakot, Amnesty International’s Acting Regional Director for South Asia, Isabelle Lassée, said the reported violence reflected “the Pakistani authorities’ long history of unlawful violence against protesters in Jammu and Kashmir”.
“The disturbing reports emerging from Rawalakot are consistent with the Pakistani authorities’ long history of unlawful violence against protesters in Jammu and Kashmir. A prompt, independent and transparent investigation must be ordered into the security forces’ use of force against protesters,” Lassée said.
She also warned that the communications blackout was obstructing independent verification of events.
“So long as an internet and mobile services blackout remains in place, it will severely impede the independent verification of the full extent of the situation on the ground. We urge the Pakistani authorities to restore all communications access and allow media and independent observers into the area.”
JAAC leaders alleged that security agencies not only opened fire on unarmed demonstrators but also attempted to conceal evidence.
SA Khan, a spokesperson for the organisation, claimed that security personnel removed bodies from hospitals in Mirpur after the shootings.
“Security forces have taken away the dead bodies and locked away the hospital in Mirpur. We have the photos and video evidence of dead bodies lying on streets in a pool of blood. The security forces abducted the dead bodies to erase the evidence,” Khan alleged.
Residents quoted by international media also claimed that hospitals were sealed and that communications restrictions prevented information from leaving the region. However, these claims could not be independently verified because journalists were unable to freely access affected areas and internet services remained suspended.
Pakistani officials presented a sharply different version of events.
Government spokesperson Mohammad Rashid Hanif accused the banned JAAC of attempting to sabotage the elections and alleged that members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had infiltrated the protests. Authorities claimed armed protesters used sophisticated weapons, including assault rifles, against police and Rangers personnel.
Police also displayed videos they said showed armed men firing at security personnel and recordings of detained suspects allegedly confessing to participating in attacks. The JAAC has not responded to those specific allegations.
Deputy Police Chief Irfan Masood Kashfi said security forces exercised “maximum restraint” and fired only in self-defence after coming under attack.
The protests stem from opposition to 12 reserved seats in the PoK Legislative Assembly allocated to refugees from Jammu and Kashmir living elsewhere in Pakistan.
The JAAC argues that the reserved seats enable Pakistan’s mainstream political parties to influence government formation in the region and undermine local political representation. The group has demanded the abolition of the quota system and greater political rights for local residents.
The movement has organised demonstrations for more than a year, but tensions escalated after the regional Supreme Court ruled that the refugee seats are constitutionally protected and cannot be removed without a constitutional amendment. Pakistani authorities subsequently banned the JAAC under anti-terrorism laws and arrested dozens of its supporters.
Polling began on July 27 in phases across the region and will continue until August 10. Approximately 3.8 million voters are eligible to participate in elections for 45 directly elected seats in the 53-member Legislative Assembly.
Preliminary results from the first phase showed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) winning nine of the 13 seats contested, while its coalition partner, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), secured the remaining four. However, the PPP has alleged widespread electoral manipulation and demanded investigations into several constituencies.
Chief Election Commissioner Justice (Retd.) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal described the first phase as “the toughest election in the history of the region” because of widespread violence, but said the remaining phases would proceed as scheduled.
Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the elections as a “cosmetic electoral exercise” intended to legitimise Pakistan’s control over the territory and conceal what it described as decades of human rights abuses and political repression.
