ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ruling party strengthened its lead in elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Wednesday after election authorities officially declared another batch of successful candidates, while an independent human rights group said it had verified 89 civilian deaths during weeks of unrest surrounding the vote.
Pakistan and India each administer part of the disputed Himalayan region but claim it in full. Elections for the 53-member Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly are being held in three phases because of security concerns and heavy monsoon rains. The campaign has been overshadowed by weeks of protests led by the banned civil rights movement, the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which opposes the constitutional allocation of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir living elsewhere in Pakistan.
Authorities have accused JAAC of attempting to disrupt the election through violent protests, while the group says it is campaigning for greater political rights and the abolition of the refugee seats. Clashes between protesters and security forces have drawn international attention and prompted tighter restrictions on media access to the region.
“The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission hereby publishes the names of the candidates returned to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly as a result of the General Elections held on 2nd August 2026 and 4th August 2026 in Muzaffarabad Division and for Refugees settled in Pakistan,” the Election Commission said in a notification.
The notification confirmed the election of nine lawmakers from constituencies in Muzaffarabad Division and 12 representatives from seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir living in Pakistan.
The newly declared winners included candidates from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and other parties.
Combined with results announced earlier this week, PML-N candidates have now won 24 of the 34 seats decided in the first two phases of voting, putting the party on course to form the next regional government after the final phase of polling on Aug. 10.
Separately, the Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory (JKHRO), an independent rights organization, said it had verified 89 civilian deaths linked to the unrest between June 5 and Aug. 5.
The organization said 49 of those deaths had been verified between July 27 and Aug. 5, including 38 in Rawalakot, four in Mirpur, three in Muzaffarabad, one in Bhimber and three newly verified deaths added in its latest update. It said four additional reported deaths remained under verification, bringing the total reported death toll to 93.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Information Secretary Muhammad Rashid Hanif, referencing a recent report by the BBC, rejected allegations that security forces had opened fire on protesters or were responsible for their deaths.
“These allegations are contrary to the facts and are part of an organized campaign by armed groups against law enforcement agencies, using violence and agitation to disrupt public order and undermine the writ of the state,” he said.
Hanif accused JAAC members of killing and injuring law enforcement agencies in recent protests, saying that they had also damaged vehicles belonging to the police and paramilitary Rangers force. Previously, AJK police have told Arab News that two security officials were killed in recent clashes with protesters.
The dispute over the election has centered on 12 assembly seats reserved for people displaced from Indian-administered Kashmir after the partition of British India in 1947. JAAC argues the arrangement gives disproportionate political influence to people living outside Pakistan-administered Kashmir and has demanded the seats be abolished.
The regional government says the seats are constitutionally protected and can only be removed through a constitutional amendment. It also says it has accepted most of JAAC’s broader demands and has accused members of the group of attacking police and attempting to derail the electoral process. JAAC denies the allegations.
