Muzaffarabad

The first phase of the PoJK elections was overshadowed by violence, allegations of electoral malpractice and political clashes, with a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) worker losing his life in Kotli district as voting was underway, Dawn reported.

According to Dawn, polling commenced at 8 am across 13 constituencies in Mirpur division and was initially scheduled to conclude at 5 pm. However, Mirpur Commissioner Raja Tahir Mumtaz Khan later announced that polling hours had been extended until 6 pm in Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli districts.

As reported by Dawn, the most serious incident occurred in Kotli's Nakyal tehsil in the LA-9 Kotli-II constituency, where the PPP claimed that its political worker, Mukhtar Younus, died during violent incidents allegedly involving supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Sardar Umair Naeem.

The PPP demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible and called for stronger security measures to protect voters.

According to the report, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed grief over the incident, alleging that Younus was killed in firing linked to the PML-N candidate.

Dawn reported that Bilawal criticised the authorities and the Election Commission, claiming that earlier warnings, including a video allegedly showing armed displays by the candidate's supporters, had been ignored.

As reported by Dawn, earlier in the day, polling at several stations in Kotli was temporarily suspended following clashes between PPP and PML-N supporters.

Dawn reported that both parties accused each other of attempting to manipulate the electoral process in several constituencies.

The PPP further alleged that armed individuals associated with PML-N candidates attempted to influence voting in the LA-12 Kotli-V constituency and interfere with polling in LA-8 Kotli. The party also raised concerns over slow mobile phone services, saying communication disruptions were affecting voters, media personnel and emergency responders, according to Dawn.

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Meanwhile, in Bhimber district, the PML-N accused an Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate of entering a polling station and burning ballot papers. Dawn reported that the PML-N submitted a formal complaint to the district returning officer, seeking action over the alleged incident.