A protest group in Pakistan-administered Kashmir says more than 30 of its supporters were killed as local elections took place amid boycotts, protests, and deadly violence. The group, called the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), made the claim as voting began in the first of three rounds. (Al Jazeera)

JAAC member Sardar Umar Nazir shared the death toll in a video statement reported by Arab News Pakistan on July 29. He said 20 supporters were killed on July 27, the first day of voting, which covered the areas of Mirpur, Kotli, and Bhimber. He said at least 10 more were killed the next day in Rawalakot, Mirpur, and other places, including during sit-in protests. Pakistani authorities gave a different account. They said one security officer was killed and five were injured in clashes on the first day of voting.

The violence did not begin with these elections. In early June, clashes between security forces and protesters in Rawalakot killed 11 people and injured more than 70 (Reuters). By mid-June, Reuters reported that more than 20 people had died and the region had shut down. On July 14, Reuters reported nine more killed, bringing the total since June to about 30. BBC News said on July 24 that at least 40 people, most of them protesters, had been killed before the elections. The New York Times, on July 28, cited officials saying dozens had died in recent weeks.

The situation escalated after the local government banned JAAC in June 2026, using anti-terrorism laws. Amnesty International, a leading human rights organization, called the ban unlawful and urged Pakistan to investigate reports that security forces used lethal force against protesters. The ban did not stop JAAC from organizing. Instead, the group shifted from street protests to a boycott of the elections.

JAAC's main demand is the removal of 12 seats in the regional assembly that are set aside for Kashmiri refugees. These are people who fled to Pakistan during past conflicts and wars. The reserved seats have long been controversial. Critics say they are controlled by political parties in Pakistan rather than truly representing the refugees, and that they weaken the voice of people who actually live in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The push to scrap these seats has become a symbol of wider frustration with the region's lack of political control over its own affairs.

The elections went ahead anyway, planned in three rounds: July 27, August 2, and August 10. Even with the boycott and violence, Pakistan's PML-N party won nine of the 13 seats up for grabs in the first round. This kind of one-sided result is expected when one side boycotts: fewer people vote, there is little competition, and the ruling party wins easily. Reuters reported on July 29 that the vote was hit by deadly clashes.

The broader context here is about trust in the results. When a major political group is banned, its supporters are killed in numbers confirmed by multiple news outlets, and the ruling party wins nearly all the seats, the election result comes with a serious question mark. Amnesty's call to investigate the ban also raises the legal pressure. If the ban is found to be illegal, the basis for keeping JAAC out of the election process weakens.

Two more rounds of voting are still ahead, on August 2 and August 10. Whether JAAC's protests grow or fade, and whether Pakistan's government changes its approach under international pressure, will shape what happens next in a crisis that has already become one of the deadliest periods of unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in recent years.