Voting in the third phase of regional elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir went ahead in only four of the 11 constituencies originally scheduled, after weeks of deadly unrest forced authorities to postpone the rest.
Polling in the Bagh and Haveli districts closed at 5 p.m. local time on Monday, with roughly 460,000 registered voters eligible to cast ballots. Unofficial early counts began emerging after the polls closed.
Elections in the remaining seven constituencies, five in the Poonch area and two in Sudhnoti, were postponed because of the security situation, with no new date yet set. The Election Commission has left open the possibility that voting could resume later in August.
Weeks of deadly protests
The postponement follows serious unrest that has gripped the region in recent weeks, driven largely by demonstrations from the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). The group is demanding the abolition of 12 seats in the local assembly reserved for people displaced from the Indian-administered part of Kashmir who now live elsewhere in Pakistan, arguing the arrangement lets Islamabad exert disproportionate influence over local politics. Pakistani authorities reject the accusations, and banned JAAC's activities in June after it called for an election boycott.
Clashes between protesters and security forces have caused dozens of deaths, though the exact toll remains disputed. JAAC leaders say more than 30 people have died in the Rawalakot area alone, a figure Reuters says it could not independently confirm. Other groups and residents put the death toll even higher, while the regional government disputes that security forces are responsible for protester deaths.
More than 10,000 extra security personnel
According to the newspaper Dawn, more than 10,000 additional security personnel were deployed to the voting areas, with most of the 803 polling stations classified as "sensitive" or "highly sensitive."
The vote has also drawn accusations of irregularities. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) accused the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of rigging and obstructing polling agents at some stations, a claim PML-N rejects as baseless. Candidates linked to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan boycotted the election, also alleging fraud.
PML-N heads toward forming government
Despite the seven outstanding constituencies, the nationally governing PML-N has already built a clear lead, securing 24 of the 34 seats decided after the first two phases, against 10 for PPP, putting it on track to form the next regional government, a win that would return it to power in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after about a decade.
Among Monday's four constituencies, AJK's sitting prime minister, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore of PPP, sought re-election in Haveli, while two former prime ministers were among the candidates in Bagh.
