Pakistan-administered Kashmir votes under heavy security after deadly reform protests

Voting opened on Monday in Pakistan-administered Kashmir for a local legislature election being held in three phases under heavy security following weeks of deadly protests demanding electoral reforms.

The electoral commission announced less than a week before polling that voting would be divided into three rounds for the first time. It cited concerns that security personnel were overstretched by the demonstrations.

Mirpur district was the first area to vote. Witnesses said turnout appeared low during the summer heat on Monday afternoon.

Around 3.8 million residents in the Pakistan-administered part of the disputed Himalayan region were eligible to participate.

Voting is scheduled to conclude on August 10 in Poonch district, the centre of the protest movement.

The Joint Awami Action Committee has demanded the abolition of 12 seats in the local legislature reserved for people who left what is now India-administered Kashmir.

JAAC supporters urged residents to boycott the election, arguing that Pakistan’s major political parties use the reserved seats to influence the local legislature through representatives who mostly live outside the region.

The local government banned JAAC under anti-terrorism laws in June.

Further demonstrations and clashes followed the ban, killing dozens of people and leading to hundreds of arrests.

Digital monitoring group NetBlocks and local residents reported widespread internet restrictions during the election period.

Independent candidate Malik Alauddin said the shutdown had made it much harder to contact voters and forced candidates to campaign in person across remote mountainous areas.

The government has not confirmed the full scale of the restrictions but said some connections had been restored.

The election is also being watched as a test of Pakistan’s main political parties around halfway through the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party’s five-year term.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, is boycotting the election.