Pakistan-administered Kashmir is set to hold the first phase of local elections on Monday, July 27, despite calls for a boycott from the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a recently outlawed grassroots alliance of civil society groups.

JAAC demands the abolition of 12 seats in the regional assembly reserved for refugees displaced from India-administered Kashmir and now living in Pakistan. The group argues that only residents of Pakistan-administered Kashmir should be eligible to contest regional elections. This dispute intensified after the Supreme Court of Pakistan-administered Kashmir ruled that these refugee seats are constitutionally protected and cannot be abolished without a constitutional amendment.

The regional government banned JAAC in June under anti-terrorism laws, citing threats to public order, and detained dozens of its supporters. The unrest linked to these tensions has resulted in approximately 30 deaths since June, according to local estimates cited by Reuters.

India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir in its entirety, but each controls only a section of the Muslim-majority region, which has been a longstanding flashpoint between the nuclear-armed neighbors since their independence from Britain in 1947.

Shazia Marri, central information secretary of the Pakistan People's Party that currently governs the region, described the election as "a major opportunity for the people of AJK to choose their representatives."

Analysts note that JAAC protests represent a significant political shift in Pakistan-administered Kashmir by uniting citizens across party lines around economic and governance issues rather than traditional rivalries. However, Khan, a commentator on the situation, cautioned, "It is too early to say that more waves of protests will be seen, but JAAC has the potential to become a lasting political force," while also suggesting the group faces risks from internal divisions and establishment pressure.

Voices from the movement emphasize their demand for fair representation and rights, criticizing political campaigns as filled with slogans rather than substantive change. They assert that "the local people who live here should have the right to choose their representatives, not the refugees who settled here from India," and stress that "the people want their rights protected, their issues addressed and a government that delivers on its promises."

Sources