Now Reading: PoK final vote delayed in seven seats over security fears
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PoK final vote delayed in seven seats over security fears
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's final round of regional elections was hit by delays on Monday, with authorities postponing polls in seven of 11 remaining constituencies to an undetermined date. Raja Shakeel, a local Election…
The Story in Brief
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's final round of regional elections was hit by delays on Monday, with authorities postponing polls in seven of 11 remaining constituencies to an undetermined date. Raja Shakeel, a local Election Commission official, cited a review of the law-and-order situation. The vote follows weeks of deadly protests and an internet blackout in the region.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N) has won 24 of 34 seats contested so far and is set to form the government. But the Pakistan Peoples Party has accused it of rigging, which the PML-N denies. Candidates from Imran Khan's PTI have boycotted the polls. The Hindu reports that more than 30 people were killed in clashes around Rawalakot after the first round, a toll Reuters could not verify.
The Indian Opinion
Every disputed election in PoK is sold as a verdict, but the real story is the boycott and the bullet. The PML-N's mandate is hollow when the main opposition refuses to stand and unverified death tolls pile up under a news blackout. Watch what happens to the seven postponed seats and whether the JAAC's ban holds. If protests return, Delhi and Islamabad's claims about 'people's will' will look even thinner. The one number that matters is the final count in Rawalakot, if it ever comes out.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
