[Source: Reuters]
Protests during regional elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have turned deadly, with leaders of a banned Kashmiri group saying on Wednesday more than 30 people had been killed around one town in clashes with security forces ahead of the second round.
Pakistan’s primary governing party, the PML-N, won nine out of the 13 seats that were up for election in the districts of Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber on Monday.
The election was originally scheduled to be held in one round on July 27, but was split into three separate votes by districts, with officials citing security concerns.
The second and third rounds are scheduled for August 2 and August 10.
The party that won the elections in 2021, the Imran Khan-founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has boycotted the vote over electoral fraud concerns.
The region’s primary protest movement, the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), was banned by the regional government in June, prompting deadly protests last month.
Banking, roads and internet services have largely been disrupted since then, hindering the flow of information, meaning Reuters could not independently verify the figure of over 30 dead given by the JAAC about the clashes around Rawalakot.
