The first phase of elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) was marked by violence, allegations of electoral irregularities and clashes between rival political workers on Monday, with a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) worker killed during polling in Kotli district.
According to Pakistan's Dawn, voting began at 8 am across 13 constituencies in the Mirpur division and was originally scheduled to end at 5 pm. However, Mirpur Commissioner Raja Tahir Mumtaz Khan later extended polling by an hour, allowing voting to continue until 6 pm in Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli districts. The most serious incident took place in the LA-9 Kotli-II constituency, where the PPP alleged that its worker, Mukhtar Younus, was killed during violent clashes involving supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Sardar Umair Naeem.
CLASHES DISRUPT POLLING
Violence and political tensions affected voting at several polling stations throughout the day.
Polling was suspended for the rest of the day at three stations in Kotli and two in Bhimber following election-related disturbances. Voting was also temporarily halted at multiple other locations after minor clashes and heated arguments between supporters of rival parties.
The PPP and the PML-N, coalition partners at Pakistan's federal level but rivals in the POK elections, accused each other of attempting to manipulate the electoral process in several constituencies. The PPP called on the Election Commission to investigate alleged attempts by PML-N supporters to influence voting in Union Council Throchi of the LA-12 Kotli-V constituency, where its candidate Yasin is contesting.
In a statement on X, the PPP claimed that Mukhtar Younus "died during incidents of display of arms and public harassment by PML-N candidate Sardar Umair Naeem." PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed grief over Younus's death, saying he had received reports that the worker was killed "in firing by" the PML-N candidate.
"My worker has been martyred in Mirpur's Nakyal. Where are the relevant authorities? What is the Election Commission doing?" Bilawal said. He further alleged that a video showing Naeem and his associates "firing in public" had surfaced two days earlier, but authorities had failed to act.
"There would not have been a loss of life if the relevant authorities had taken notice of the video back then," Bilawal was quoted as saying by Dawn.
Bilawal said Younus had been campaigning for PPP candidate Javed Budhanvi and reiterated the party's claim that a criminal case against Budhanvi was politically motivated.
PML-N MAKES COUNTER-CLAIMS
The PML-N also accused rival parties of disrupting polling by looting ballot boxes, setting one on fire and interfering with the voting process in Bhimber district.
According to Dawn, supporters of an Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate allegedly seized ballot boxes from a polling station in Samahni tehsil of Bhimber district. Mirpur Commissioner Raja Tahir Mumtaz confirmed the incident.
Videos circulating on social media reportedly showed armed men firing during the disturbance.
Senior PML-N leader Raja Azhar Iqbal said the affected polling station accounted for more than 500 votes and that the party had lodged a written complaint with the district returning officer. The divisional commissioner also alleged that individuals linked to the IPP candidate set a ballot box on fire at another polling station, leading police to detain around 30 people.
Visuals from various parts of POK during the first phase of polling showed largely empty polling stations, suggesting that the reported election boycott may have significantly impacted voter turnout.
PRE-POLL RIGGING ALLEGATIONS
Allegations of electoral malpractice had surfaced even before polling began, adding to political tensions.
PML-N leader and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's adviser on political affairs, Rana Sanaullah, alleged pre-poll rigging in Kotli's LA-10 constituency and accused PPP POK president Chaudhry Yasin of involvement, according to Dawn.
Sanaullah claimed that presiding officers linked to the alleged irregularities had been caught and demanded an investigation before the election results were accepted.
While the POK government did not directly respond to the allegations, the Election Commission confirmed that two presiding officers had been arrested after failing to report to their designated polling stations and instead going to a private residence.
A total of 288 candidates contested the first phase of polling across 13 constituencies in the Mirpur division. Voting was held at 2,316 polling stations, including 1,241 classified as highly sensitive and another 724 designated as sensitive by the Election Commission.
