NewzISLAMABAD (AP) — Officials in Pakistan administered Kashmir on Tuesday accused an outlawed political group of attempting to sabotage elections for the region’s constitutional assembly, while also alleging that militants from the Pakistani Taliban infiltrated weekslong protests. The accusations came a day after clashes with security forces killed one paramilitary officer and wounded several others. The violence erupted when armed, masked protesters at a sit-in opened fire on police and security personnel deployed to secure polling, the regional government and police said.
There were unconfirmed reports that several protesters were killed or wounded, but officials did not immediately confirm any civilian casualties. Voting in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed in its entirety by both countries, began Monday and is being held in phases through Aug. The now weeks-old protest encampment has overshadowed the election, with residents reporting low voter turnout in Monday’s first phase, when polling was held for several assembly seats in the city of Mirpur.
At a news conference in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, government spokesman Mohammad Rashid Hanif alleged that the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee, or JAAC, sought to derail the elections. He said a “significant number” of Fitna al-Khawarij, the term Islamabad uses for members of the Pakistani Taliban, were also among the protesters. Later on Tuesday at a news conference in Islamabad, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said the ongoing sit-in was no longer a peaceful protest, alleging that armed militants had joined the demonstrators and posed a threat to public order.
They said authorities would soon take action to restore order and ensure conditions for a free, fair and peaceful vote. The ministers urged residents to stay away from the protest, alleging that some demonstrators were armed with sophisticated weapons and were using them against security forces. They said security forces were responding in self-defense while exercising maximum restraint.
The regional government banned the JAAC recently, citing concerns over public order and security, and arrested dozens of its followers. The group, formed in 2023, demands greater political rights for the people of Kash… The federal government and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) administration on Tuesday alleged that militant elements had infiltrated protests organised by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in an attempt to disrupt the democratic process during the region's elections.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the first phase of the AJK Legislative Assembly elections had been held in a peaceful and transparent manner with the participation of all mainstream political parties. Referring to a press conference held earlier by senior AJK officials, Tarar said that a violent group opposed to development and Kashmir's relationship with Pakistan had resorted to violence in an attempt to undermine peace after failing to gain public support through the electoral process. He said that weapons had been recovered from the protesters and that they had opened fire on security forces.
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