Pakistan's ruling party leads in Kashmir vote despite boycott call by banned group

Key Points:

• Pakistan's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) has secured 24 of 34 seats in the first two phases of legislative assembly elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, signaling a strong lead and likely return to power after a decade.
• Voter turnout exceeded 56% in the regional capital Muzaffarabad despite security concerns, heavy monsoon rains, and calls for a boycott by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which had led violent protests.
• The elections are being conducted in three phases due to security issues and weather challenges, with the final phase scheduled for August 10; the PML-N is poised to form the next regional government.
• The JAAC opposes 12 seats reserved for people displaced from Indian-controlled Kashmir, arguing these seats give disproportionate influence to those living outside Pakistan-administered Kashmir, but the region’s Supreme Court has upheld the seats as constitutionally protected.
• The election process faced clashes between JAAC supporters and police, with authorities accusing the group of attempting to disrupt voting and alleging infiltration by Pakistani Taliban members, claims the JAAC has not addressed.