Pakistan-administered Kashmir elections and protests – all you need to know

What the report says

Pakistan-administered Kashmir is in the midst of a major political and security crisis after weeks of protests over electoral rules and governance turned deadly, according to Al Jazeera. The unrest has affected the region’s staggered legislative elections, with the second round held on Sunday in Muzaffarabad division amid boycott calls, business shutdowns and limited internet access. The third and final voting phase is scheduled for August 10.

The protests are being led by the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a banned grassroots coalition of traders, lawyers and activists. Its central demand is the removal of 12 assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees living outside the territory, which the group says distorts local representation and gives outside political forces undue influence. The regional government and Pakistan’s authorities reject that view and say the unrest threatens public order. Al Jazeera reported that a recent court ruling said the seats are constitutionally protected unless the law is changed through a constitutional amendment.

The violence has been most intense in the Poonch division, especially around Rawalakot, with clashes also reported in and around Muzaffarabad. Residents and local estimates cited by Al Jazeera put the death toll above 50, including security personnel, though no official figure has been released. A partial internet blackout has been in place since June 5, and telecom service remains restricted in parts of the region.

The situation matters because it reflects a wider dispute over representation, autonomy and resource distribution in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a territory that remains part of the broader Kashmir conflict between Pakistan and India.