Pakistan-administered Kashmir votes amid deadly protests

Islamabad (dpa) – The first phase of elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir began on Monday after weeks of protests that have left dozens killed. 

The local electoral authority said voters were heading to the polls in Mirpur district, with other areas set to begin voting in early August.

The election in the Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kahmir region has sparked serious protests led by the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which is campaigning for a change to electoral laws. 

The JAAC says more than 40 protesters have lost their lives and at least 1,000 have been arrested in clashes with security forces. A police spokesman said six security officials have been killed. 

Nuclear-armed neighbours Pakistan and India both lay claim to the entire region and have fought three wars for control of Kashmir.

The latest dispute concerns seats in the local parliament reserved for refugees from Indian Kashmir living in Pakistan-administered areas. The JAAC argues this give too much influence to the central government in Islamabad to intervene in local affairs.

The city of Rawalakot has been the centre of protests, with schools, markets and banks closed, and mobile and internet services suspended.

Residents have been caught between protesters and security forces, each manning separate checkpoints restricting movement of people and goods.

"There was a food shortage and I had no option but to move my family," Haris Qadeer, a freelance journalist from Rawalakot, told dpa.