Source Hindustan Times
NEW DELHI — India on Tuesday launched a scathing critique of the ongoing local assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), dismissing the polling process as a “complete farce” designed to manufacture political legitimacy while masking severe human rights abuses in the region.
Addressing a weekly media briefing in the national capital, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that no electoral exercise could conceal the escalating violence and widespread public unrest gripping the territory.
“The so-called local elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are a complete farce,” Jaiswal told reporters. “The real situation is one of public protests and wanton killings by Pakistani forces. Such hollow exercises cannot hide reality.”
According to the official spokesperson, at least 90 civilians have lost their lives in PoJK since June during an intensifying security crackdown against local demonstrators. Jaiswal accused the Pakistani establishment of suppressing public discontent with “bullets, blackouts, intimidation, and repression,” and called on the international community to hold Islamabad accountable.
Rising Unrest and Allegations of Rigging
The multi-phase elections—conducted under heavy security—have been overshadowed by mass demonstrations led by civic and political groups, including the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). Local residents have taken to the streets to protest against spiraling inflation, exorbitant electricity tariffs, and alleged administrative apathy.
Protests were reported across major towns in PoJK as well as in Pakistani urban centers like Karachi, where demonstrators questioned the credibility of the election results. Security forces responded with tear gas, physical force, and mass detentions, blocking marches in regions such as Rawalakot.
International rights and press watchdogs, including Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ Asia), have expressed severe concern over the state-led violence, internet shutdowns, arbitrary arrests, and media curbs imposed during the voting period.
India’s Stance on PoJK
Reiterating New Delhi’s long-standing position, the Ministry emphasized that the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh remain integral and inalienable parts of India. India maintained that administrative maneuvers by Islamabad cannot alter the legal status of the territory or distract global attention from systemic human rights violations in the region.
