One Dead, Several Injured as Firing Breaks Out During PoK Assembly Election Voting
PoK Assembly elections turn violent on polling day, with PPP and PML-N accusing each other of trying to influence results.
In the first phase of the Assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) took place under the shadow of violence. On polling day, bloody clashes broke out at polling booths. One person died in indiscriminate firing, while several others were seriously injured. Following the incident, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) accused Nawaz Sharif's party PML-N of killing one of its workers. Amid the allegations and counter-allegations, Bilawal Bhutto also raised questions about the role of the Election Commission.
PPP issued a statement saying that its worker Mukhtar Younus died in firing by PML-N candidates. The party claimed that two other people were also injured in the incident. Following this, the party raised questions about the security arrangements during the elections. After the incident, party chairman Bilawal Bhutto expressed grief on social media. He asked where the concerned officials were and what the Election Commission was doing. PPP alleged that a fair environment was not maintained during the elections.
According to a news agency, apart from the firing, allegations of rigging were also made on several seats. PPP and PML-N accused each other of trying to influence the elections. At some polling stations, voting was disrupted for some time due to arguments and clashes between supporters.
The PoK Assembly elections are being held in three phases from 27 July to 10 August. Of the 53 seats in the Assembly, direct voting takes place for 45 seats, while 8 seats are reserved for women, technical experts, and religious scholars.
Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has boycotted the elections. Meanwhile, the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has already been banned. PTI claims that more than 100 people died in violence during JAAC's protests last month. However, this claim has not been independently verified.
India has consistently maintained that Pakistan is illegally occupying parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. India has also recently accused Pakistan of repression and exploitation regarding the protests that took place in PoK.