According to a press conference held by Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Chief Secretary Khushal Khan and the Election Commission Secretary on Sunday, polling material has reached Mirpur, where 17,000 security personnel have been deployed for the first phase of the AJK Assembly elections. Election campaigns are in full swing, and more than 1.4 million voters are due to choose representatives for 13 seats across Mirpur, Bhimber and Kotli.
After frenzied weeks of shutdowns and anxious speculation, the beginning of the polling process offers the people of the picturesque valley something more durable: a constitutional route back into the argument over their future.
The Election Commission’s decision to divide the exercise into three phases reflects the security pressures created by the recent unrest. Mirpur Division would vote first, followed by Muzaffarabad Division and the refugee constituencies, and then Poonch Division. It is a practical adjustment to a difficult environment, made after consultation with political parties and accompanied by a commitment to access for observers and journalists.
It goes without saying that elections held on schedule are not a substitute for responsive government, nor do they erase the anger that has surfaced in the valley over representation, public services, prices and political accountability. Still, they provide a lawful forum in which such disputes can be converted into mandates in order to be resolved under public scrutiny.
The question of the 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan has been central to the recent confrontation. The Supreme Court of AJK has ruled that these seats enjoy constitutional protection and cannot be removed without amendment. Those demanding a change are entitled to make their political case. However, they are also bound by the constitutional method required to achieve it. A new Assembly is precisely where that contest belongs.
The state, for its part, must understand the burden carried by ballot. Free access to polling stations, secrecy of the vote, impartial administration and transparent counting will determine whether voters see the election as their own exercise or somebody else’s arrangement.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has meanwhile announced the arrest of a man accused of circulating anti-state material online in exchange for Indian funding. The allegation must be investigated in a manner that leaves no room for doubt. If substantiated, this would show how readily external interests seek to exploit local climate through disinformation and paid agitation.
Even if AJK’s discontent cannot be explained away as an imported script, Islamabad is in no position to overlook the interest of hostile actors in amplifying fear, distorting facts and presenting each internal dispute as a crisis of legitimacy.
At the end of the day, Pakistan’s case on Indian-occupied Kashmir gains more credibility on the world stage when the people of AJK can hold their representatives to account. These elections are only the beginning. Those elected will face the harder task when the campaign banners come down. *