Pakistan-administered Kashmir (Azad Jammu and Kashmir, or AJK) is holding local legislative elections in three phases starting July 27, 2026. The vote comes after weeks of deadly protests, a months-long internet and mobile shutdown, and a heavy security crackdown. Nearly 40 people have died in clashes since early June, and the region’s economy, health services, and daily life have all been badly hit. At the heart of the unrest is anger over 12 assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees, along with long-standing complaints about prices, governance, and political rights.
Why Are People Protesting?
The protests did not start overnight. They trace back more than two years to a movement called the Joint Awami Action Committee, or JAAC, which first formed in 2023 to demand cheaper wheat, lower electricity bills, and limits on the perks given to AJK officials. The Pakistani government stepped in during 2024 and promised subsidies, and a charter of demands was signed that was meant to calm things down.
That calm did not last. Talks between JAAC and the government broke down at the end of May 2026 over a new issue: 12 seats in the regional assembly that are reserved for Kashmiri refugees living outside the territory. Protesters argue these seats let political parties based in Pakistan control the outcome of local elections, since most people eligible to hold them do not even live in the region. What began as a fight over prices has grown into a much bigger demand for constitutional rights and real self-rule.
The government responded with a security crackdown, and the JAAC itself was later banned. Even so, thousands of supporters have kept up a sit-in in the hill town of Rawalakot for over a month, and strikes have shut markets, shops, and banks across the region. The United Nations has called for an independent investigation into the deaths reported during the unrest.
Internet Shutdown Adds to the Pain
For weeks, most of Pakistan-administered Kashmir has lived under an unofficial state of emergency. Mobile networks and broadband internet have been suspended almost everywhere, with only banks, the Election Commission, and a few government offices kept online.
The shutdown has caused real hardship. Families have struggled to call ambulances or reach hospitals in emergencies. Small business owners say they have lost tens of thousands of dollars because they cannot process digital payments or reach customers online. Candidates running in the election have had to go back to old-fashioned campaigning, travelling door to door and holding village meetings instead of using social media, because there is simply no other way to reach voters in the mountainous terrain.
Roads have also been blocked for weeks in parts of Poonch division, cutting off the supply of flour and other basic goods to communities that depend on regular deliveries.
What Happens Next?
Voting for the first of three election phases began on July 27, 2026, in Mirpur district, with turnout reported as low amid the summer heat and heavy security. Around 3.8 million people across the territory are eligible to vote, and the remaining phases will run until early August under the same tight security and communication restrictions.
Government officials say normal life has largely returned to most of the region, even as protest camps remain and the banned JAAC has urged voters to boycott the polls entirely. With political parties, security forces, and protest leaders all watching closely, the coming weeks will show whether the elections can restore calm or whether the unrest will continue into the next phase of voting.
This article covers developing events in Pakistan-administered Kashmir as of late July 2026. Details may change as voting continues through the remaining phases.
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