At least 14 activists of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) were killed and more than two dozen injured in clashes with law-enforcement personnel during the first phase of elections for the so-called legislative assembly in Pakistan-occupied Jammu-Kashmir (PoJK), the organisation claimed on Tuesday.
Law enforcement authorities in the region, however, disputed the death toll and accused JAAC protesters of opening fire on security personnel.
The JAAC has been holding a series of protests in PoK since last month over 12 contentious seats of the so-called regional legislative assembly. It alleges that the establishment manoeuvres these seats to install a prime minister of its choosing.
As the first phase of polls was held on Monday on 13 seats, the JAAC held a long march from Rawalakot towards the regional capital Muzaffarabad.
The JAAC claimed that its activists were killed when law-enforcement personnel opened fire on participants of the long march. The party’s claim could not be independently verified.
JAAC core committee member Abid Shaheen told BBC that around a dozen activists had been killed and more than 20 wounded during clashes on Monday.
Another committee member, Imtiaz Aslam, put the death toll at 14 and said those killed included Usman Nazir, younger brother of JAAC founding member Umar Nazir.
Shaheen claimed the bodies had been taken to a medical camp near Drek, where the JAAC has been staging a sit-in for one-and-a-half months.
The JAAC also denied that its marchers were armed, saying they carried only sticks. The claim was rejected by PoJK police chief Captain (retd.) Liaquat Ali Malik, who alleged that protesters possessed modern weapons and were targeting security personnel.
Malik said the reported deaths could not be verified until bodies were recovered, officially recorded or brought to hospitals for post-mortem examinations.
He recalled that during an operation against the JAAC last month, the group had claimed 400 deaths, whereas five fatalities had been recorded officially.
Malik, however, confirmed that a Rangers personnel was killed and two others wounded in firing during the clashes. Two police personnel were also injured.
He said the JAAC activists positioned in the mountains opened fire on police and security personnel after darkness fell as the protesters attempted to advance towards Rawalakot.
According to a Rawalakot district administration officer, around 3,000 protesters had marched towards the city from Drek, while another group of around 2,000 approached from the bus terminal side. The authorities prevented the protesters from entering the city.
In Poonch region, police claimed that armed groups associated with the banned JAAC attempted to enter Rawalakot and opened fire on law-enforcement personnel after being asked to disperse, injuring two policemen.
The police also accused JAAC-linked social media accounts of circulating fabricated videos and distorting facts to mislead the public.
JAAC executive council member Shaheen, however, rejected the allegations and accused law-enforcement personnel of opening “unprovoked fire” on a peaceful long march. He vowed that the march would continue to Muzaffarabad.
The confrontation comes amid weeks of protests by the JAAC over its demand for the abolition of 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees.
The group began protests and a long march across PoK on June 9. Before Monday’s violence, 40 people had reportedly been killed during the unrest, including 34 protesters and six police and paramilitary personnel.
Meanwhile, The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won nine out of 13 seats in the first phase of elections held in PoJK, the Election Commission said on Tuesday.
There were allegations of massive rigging in the first phase of the polls held on Monday, in which the Pakistan’s People Party (PPP) won the remaining seats.
The elections for 45 contesting seats in the so-called legislative assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are happening in three phases between July 27 and August 10 amid widespread violence.
According to preliminary results issued by the PoK Election Commission on Tuesday, the PML-N led by the Sharif brothers – Nawaz and Shehbaz – emerged as the winner in nine constituencies while the PPP led by the Bhuttos secured four seats.
Both parties are coalition partners in the federal government. It is a direct contest between the two in PoK because former prime minister Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has boycotted the polls.
There are 53 seats in the so-called PoK legislative assembly – 45 are directly elected, while eight are reserved for women, technocrats and clerics.
Alleging rigging in seven seats, PPP senior leader Nayyar Bokhari said: “Our winning seats have been gifted to the PML-N.”
Other senior PPP leaders have demanded the Election Commission not to announce results till investigation of rigging in certain constituencies is not completed.(PTI)
