Pakistan's ruling party leads in Kashmir vote despite boycott call by banned group

Pakistan's ruling party has taken a strong lead in elections for the legislative assembly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, results from the first two phases of voting showed Wednesday, despite weeks of protests and a boycott campaign by a banned political group.

Candidates backed by twice-elected former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N have won 24 of the 34 seats decided in the first two phases, said Raja Shakeel, a spokesperson for the regional election commission. Voter turnout exceeded 56% in the regional capital.

Shakeel said voting for the remaining 11 seats is scheduled for 10 August, but the ruling party is already on course to form the next regional government.

The result marks the party's return to power in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after a decade.

Shakeel said the election is being held in three phases due to security concerns and heavy monsoon rains, which have disrupted campaigning and made it difficult to organise large outdoor rallies.

Regional government and election officials said turnout exceeded 50% in many areas, including Muzaffarabad, despite security concerns and calls for a boycott by the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee, or JAAC, which is known for organising violent protests.

Sharif congratulated the winning candidates in a statement.

Pakistan and India each control parts of Kashmir but claim the Himalayan region in its entirety. The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.

The election campaign was overshadowed by weeks of protests led by the JAAC, which had urged residents not to vote. The regional government recently banned the group, citing security and public-order concerns.

JAAC supporters repeatedly clashed with police ahead of Sunday's vote, but residents said they exercised their right to vote despite fears of violence. Analysts said the election strengthened public confidence in the democratic process as voters turned out despite weeks of protests, violence and the boycott campaign.

The dispute has centred on 12 seats reserved for people displaced from Indian-controlled Kashmir since the end of British colonial rule. The JAAC argues that the seats give disproportionate political influence to people living outside Pakistan-administered Kashmir and has demanded that they be abolished.

The controversy intensified in June when the region's Supreme Court ruled that the seats are protected by the constitution and cannot be abolished without a constitutional amendment.

The seats were created to ensure representation for people displaced from Indian-controlled Kashmir who settled elsewhere in Pakistan because Pakistan-administered Kashmir lacked the capacity to accommodate them. Many have lived in Pakistan for decades, while others later moved to Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Authorities have often accused JAAC supporters of attempting to disrupt the election and alleged that members of the Pakistani Taliban had infiltrated the protests. The JAAC has not responded to the allegations.

Formed in 2023, the group has demanded greater political rights for the people of Kashmir. The government says it has accepted 36 of the group's 38 demands, while the issue of reserved seats can only be resolved by the regional assembly.