MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal / Courtesy: YouTube/Ministry of External Affairs

Terming the ongoing election in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as "a complete farce," India on Aug. 4 said that the since June this year, at least 90 civilians have lost their lives in the continuing crackdown on the public of the region which has been up in arms against the Pakistani administration in the region.

Even as protests against the Pakistani administration have been raging in the region under the leadership of the J-K Joint Awami Action Committee (Jammu and Kashmir JAAC) for the past two months now, the Pakistan regime went ahead with the elections to the 53-member state legislative assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) which are being held in three phases from July 27 to August 10, 2026.

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The process has been heavily overshadowed by widespread protests, a call for a boycott by the JAAC, and a violent crackdown by Pakistani security forces which has resulted in at least 30 killings during the election-related unrest alone, adding to the killings that have happened before this.  

Reacting to a question on the completion of the second phase of the election being held in PoK, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the so-called "election in PoK is a complete farce."

"The real happening is that of public protests and wanton killings by Pakistani forces. Such hollow exercises (elections) cannot hide reality. Since June this year, at least 90 civilians have lost their lives in the continuing crackdown. Many more have been injured. As you have seen, the Pakistani establishment has  answered public discontent with bullets, blackouts, intimidation and repression and now seeks to manufacture legitimacy through a hollow electoral exercise. It must be held accountable and the world should see through the veneer of Pakistan's hypocritical lecturing on human rights," he said.

Jaiswal commented a day after Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), led by former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, emerged as the dominant party in the second phase of polling in PoK as it won 14 of the 18 contested seats even as its own coalition partner -the People's party Pakistan People's Party (PPP)- has accused its ally PML-N of rigging the ongoing elections in PoK.

In fact, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari accused ally PML-N of rigging the ongoing PoK elections and warning that its "countdown had begun."

The second phase of the elections which were held amid allegations of rigging, protests and violence, was held on Sunday (August 2), amid a deadly crackdown on civilians.

While the elections were scheduled for July 27, the Pakistani regime split the elections into three phases in view of the security situation.

The elections are being held even as the region is marred by a brutal crackdown on protesters who are participating in agitations against the Pakistani regime under the umbrella of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), PoK's leading civil society organization that raises the voice of the public of the region. Over the last few months, the region has repeatedly witnessed clashes between the JAAC and the security forces.

While internet has been snapped, there have been allegations that the forces have been killing protesters.

While India has condemned the use of ruthless force on protesters,  the United Nations human rights chief has demanded an independent probe. Pakistan, meanwhile, has alleged that India is behind the JAAC’s activities, a charge New Delhi has dismissed.

Meanwhile, responding to a question from New India Abroad, the MEA spokesperson also criticised the Pakistani Army spokesperson's objectionable remarks on India-Afghanistan ties.

Pakistan Army's chief military spokesperson, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, had triggered a row after invoking a Quranic verse while responding to recent remarks by an Afghan Taliban minister who said India and Afghanistan shared the same DNA because of their historical and cultural ties.

Speaking at an official press conference in Rawalpindi, Chaudhry referred to a Quranic verse which, according to his interpretation, states that Muslims should not befriend kaafirs (disbelievers).

His comments, made while discussing the Afghan minister's statement, have been doing rounds on social media platforms.

The remarks came during a broader media briefing on Pakistan's counter-terrorism operations, the security situation in Balochistan, ties with Afghanistan and Islamabad's repeated claims that India has been supporting militant violence inside Pakistan. India has consistently dismissed all these allegations. 

 Responding to the objectionable remarks made by the Pakistani Army spokesperson, Jaiswal said that they reflected the Pakistani side's growing insecurity and frustration over the positive trajectory of India-Afghanistan ties.

"The other question was regarding the spokesperson of Pakistan. He had made some certain comments. So, I would like to say that such statements and comments in a way reflect the Pakistani state's growing insecurity and frustration over the positive trajectory of India-Afghanistan ties," Jaiswal said.

 

Discover more at New India Abroad.