More Than 30 Killed in Violence Surrounding Azad Kashmir Assembly Elections

Darwin, July 31: More than 30 people, including protesters and security personnel, have been killed in violence surrounding the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections, according to local media reports and eyewitnesses.

Azad Kashmir is divided into 10 districts across three administrative divisions—Muzaffarabad, Poonch and Mirpur. The first phase of voting was held on July 27 in the three districts of Mirpur Division: Kotli, Mirpur and Bhimber.

The 53-member Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly consists of 33 seats contested by local residents. The remaining 20 seats include 12 reserved for refugees from India’s Jammu and Kashmir, while eight are reserved for women, religious scholars and technocrats.

The Jammu and Kashmir-based political group Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAK) has been campaigning for months to abolish the refugee quota in the assembly. Pakistan’s federal government declared the group banned in June following widespread protests.

Officials said polling was originally scheduled to take place simultaneously across all three divisions on July 27. However, due to security concerns and escalating unrest, the Election Commission decided to conduct the election in three phases. Following the Mirpur Division vote, polling in the remaining seven districts of Poonch and Muzaffarabad divisions is scheduled for August 2 and August 10, respectively.

Eyewitnesses and local media from Jammu and Kashmir reported clashes between security forces and JAAK supporters at numerous polling stations in Kotli, Mirpur and Bhimber during voting on July 27. The confrontations, which included running battles and violent exchanges, pushed the death toll beyond 30.

The unrest follows weeks of tension in May and June, when Pakistan’s federal government imposed an internet shutdown and tightened security across Azad Kashmir in response to JAAK-led demonstrations. Those restrictions reportedly remain in place after the first phase of polling.

Speaking to Reuters, Muzaffarabad resident Fazal Mahmood Baig described the election as “a deception” and said he hoped the political crisis would be resolved peacefully.