PoK polls: Pakistan postpones third phase voting amid ongoing unrest
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "PoK polls: Pakistan postpones third phase voting amid ongoing unrest")
A policeman stands guard as women voters wait to cast their ballots at a polling station during the second phase of elections for the local legislative assembly in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, on August 2, 2026, amid unrest and widespread violence. Photograph: (AFP)
Pakistan has postponed the third phase of PoK elections in Poonch and Palandri over security concerns as continuing unrest and violent protests disrupt the contested electoral process.
Polling in Poonch and Palandri districts of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) will not take place on August 10 as scheduled, with the region's election commission citing security concerns.
The third phase of the elections covers seven of the 11 seats. The decision to postpone voting in the two districts came after the first two phases, held on July 27 and August 2, were marred by violent protests.
"A new date and revised schedule will be announced after reviewing the situation," the election commission said.
The postponement comes amid continuing unrest over demands to scrap 12 seats in the local legislature reserved for people who migrated from the Indian-administered portion of Kashmir.
India rejects PoK polls
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India maintained that Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of the country and rejected the electoral exercise in PoK. New Delhi said Pakistan is in "illegal and forcible occupation" of parts of these Union Territories.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the polls were an attempt to legitimise Pakistan's occupation of the region and conceal the ongoing human rights violations.
"The current cosmetic electoral exercise is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and hide its grave human rights violations in the region. As we have stated earlier, the ongoing mass protest in PoJK, of which you are aware, is the direct consequence of economic exploitation, its denial of fundamental rights to the people and its administrative operations," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has led the protest movement. The Pakistan government later banned the group under anti-terrorism laws.
Pakistan's government also directed international media organisations to seek permission before reporting from areas outside major cities. The move followed coverage of protests and elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir by foreign news organisations.
JAAC claims hundreds killed
The JAAC claimed that more than 40 people were killed during the first phase of polling on July 27. It further claimed that around 400 protesters had been killed since the first week of June.
The first phase of voting resulted in a victory for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which won nine of the 13 seats in PoK, according to preliminary results released by the region's Election Commission on Tuesday.
The JAAC also claimed that at least 14 of its activists were killed and more than two dozen injured in clashes with law enforcement personnel during the first phase of polling.
