Violence Erupts During Pakistan Occupied Kashmir Elections One Dead Several Injured

The opening phase of elections in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir was overshadowed by violence, political tensions and allegations of election manipulation. Clashes during polling left one party worker dead and several others injured, raising fresh concerns over the conduct of the electoral process.

A shooting incident was reported in Nikyal of Kotli district during voting on Monday. The Pakistan Peoples Party claimed that its 35 year old worker Mukhtar Younus was shot dead by supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz. The party also alleged that two of its workers suffered injuries in the same attack.

Reacting to the incident, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed shock and questioned the response of the authorities. He asked why security agencies failed to prevent the violence and called on the Election Commission to explain its handling of the situation.

Senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader and Sindh Minister Saeed Ghani also blamed Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz for the attack. He said the party had received information indicating that supporters linked to a rival candidate were responsible for the firing.

Polling in the first phase was conducted across 13 assembly constituencies in the districts of Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli. Alongside the violence, allegations of large scale election rigging further intensified the political dispute. Critics claimed that the electoral outcome had already been influenced and accused powerful institutions of attempting to maintain control over the region’s political process.