Thirty Dead in Two Days as Kashmir Election Protests Meet Live Fire

Activists say security forces shot unarmed demonstrators in Mirpur and removed bodies from hospitals, as the UN human rights chief calls for an investigation

At least 30 people have been killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir over the past two days as security forces intensified a crackdown on protests over disputed regional elections, according to local activists.

The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a local civil society group, said Pakistani security forces opened fire on tens of thousands of peaceful protesters, killing 25 on Monday and five more on Tuesday.

JAAC spokesman Sardar Aman Khan said forces fired on unarmed demonstrators in Mirpur on Tuesday, following deadly clashes the previous day. He further alleged that authorities had removed bodies from hospitals and streets to conceal the scale of the killings.

Pakistani authorities have denied responsibility for the deaths. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called for an investigation into the violence.

The dispute over reserved seats

The unrest centres on the first phase of regional elections, which local groups say are skewed in favour of the central government through a system of parliamentary seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir living elsewhere in Pakistan.

JAAC supporters have urged residents to boycott the vote, arguing that those seats are used by Pakistan’s major parties to shape the local parliament in favour of candidates who mostly live outside the region. The group wants the reserved seats reassigned to residents of the territory — a change the central government says would require a constitutional amendment.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused India of backing the protests, alleging demonstrators had received “funds and instructions” from New Delhi. JAAC rejected the claim, saying the movement is driven by local demands for political representation and reform.

Two months of protest

The demonstrations began in early June, with sit-ins, strikes, and rallies demanding electoral reform ahead of the regional parliamentary elections, which opened on Monday and run in three phases until 10 August.

JAAC has campaigned in the past for lower food prices and for greater political and economic rights for local residents. Protests have turned deadly in previous years, including in 2024 and 2025, but the current unrest appears to be the bloodiest since the group was founded in 2023.

Pakistan-administered Kashmir forms part of the disputed Himalayan region claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan.

Reference: PressTv