PoK Votes Amid Protests and Accusations of Military Influence

On July 27, more than 1.4 million registered voters in Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir (PoK) queued at over 2,500 polling stations across the Mirpur Division to cast their ballots in the first phase of the Legislative Assembly elections. The atmosphere was anything but routine – a mix of anticipation, anxiety and the occasional chant from protestors who gathered outside the booths.

The election covers 13 constituencies spread over Mirpur, Bhimber and Kotli districts. In Kotli alone, an astonishing 135 candidates are vying for six seats, while the Mirpur‑Bhimber corridor sees roughly 750,000 voters deciding the fate of seven constituencies. That level of competition, though impressive, also fuels the sense that the stakes are unusually high.

But it isn’t just the numbers that are drawing attention. Opposition groups, most notably the Awami Action Committee, have urged people to stay home, branding the whole exercise as a “pre‑determined” charade. Their boycott call is rooted in a long‑standing belief that Pakistan’s powerful military establishment is pulling strings behind the scenes – a practice often referred to as “election engineering”.

Critics argue that the army’s grip on security and administrative bodies gives it the ability to tip the scales in favor of certain parties. While the government in Islamabad insists the polls are being run “in full compliance with the law”, skeptics point to a pattern of past interventions, suggesting the same playbook might be unfolding in PoK.

Amid these accusations, the usual political heavyweights are still on the ballot. The Pakistan Muslim League‑Nawaz (PML‑N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the newer Istehkam‑e‑Pakistan Party (IPP) are each fielding dozens of candidates, hoping to secure a foothold in the contested region.

Security measures are visibly tighter than usual. Authorities have barred political rallies and public gatherings, citing the need to keep the voting process peaceful. Soldiers and police have been deployed in large numbers, especially in constituencies considered “sensitive”. The Mirpur Division even observed a public holiday on election day to make it easier for citizens to reach the polls.

All eyes are now on voter turnout and the early results, which will likely set the tone for the remaining phases of the PoK elections. Whether the numbers reflect genuine democratic expression or a manufactured outcome remains a subject of heated debate, one that will continue to shape the region’s political discourse for months to come.