MEA denounces “cosmetic” elections in PoJK

Women queue to vote at a polling station during the first phase of regional elections in the Mirpur region of Pakistan-administered Kashmir on July 27, 2026 (AFP)

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said that the ongoing “cosmetic election exercise” in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) is nothing but an attempt by Islamabad to “cover up its illegal occupation and hide its serious human rights violations in the region” and asserted that the entire Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas currently under illegal occupation of Pakistan, are an integral part of India.

Addressing the regular press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed the ongoing protests in PoJK, noting that they reflect widespread public discontent over governance and economic conditions.

“We have seen reports regarding the so-called parliamentary elections held in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India’s position on this particular issue has been clear, consistent and well known. The entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas currently under illegal occupation and forceful occupation of Pakistan, are an integral and inalienable part of India,” Jaiswal said.

“The current cosmetic election exercise is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to cover up its illegal occupation and hide its serious human rights violations in the region. As we said earlier, the ongoing mass protests in PoJK, which you are aware of, are a direct consequence of its economic exploitation, its denial of fundamental rights of the people and its administrative operations,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won nine out of 13 seats in the first phase of elections held in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the Election Commission said. Allegations of massive fraud took place during the first phase of voting held on Monday, in which the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won the remaining seats. Elections for 45 contested seats in the so-called legislative assembly of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are being held in three phases between July 27 and August 10.

According to preliminary results released by the Election Commission on Tuesday, the Sharif brothers-led PML-N – Nawaz and Shehbaz – emerged victorious in nine constituencies while the Bhutto-led PPP secured four seats. The two parties are coalition partners at the federal level.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf boycotted the elections. There are 53 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir – 45 are directly elected, while eight are reserved for women, technocrats and clerics.

Alleging manipulation of seven seats, senior PPP leader Nayyar Bokhari said, “Our winning seats were given to the PML-N. » Other senior PPP leaders asked the Election Commission not to announce the results until the investigation into fraud in some constituencies is completed.

Rana Sanaullah, an adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, rejected allegations of fraud, saying the elections were largely “peaceful and fair” and that violence was reported in one constituency. A PPP worker was killed and two others were injured in a violent clash on polling day, allegedly triggered by a firing incident by the PML-N leader.

The elections come after nearly two months of violence in the region, during which several people were killed. It was triggered by a demand to remove 12 controversial refugee seats by the Awami Joint Action Committee, which has spearheaded prolonged protests, leading to a crackdown by security forces.

On July 14, India had described the protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as a “direct consequence” of Islamabad’s decades-long “systemic exploitation and administrative oppression” in areas under its “forced” occupation and criticized police brutality against protesters. (With contributions from the agency).

Also read:

1 killed, several injured in violent clashes in PoK PollsPak Punjab government denies Imran Khan’s party permission to hold rally on August 5

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