STORY: Residents of Muzaffrabad, capital of Pakistan-administrated Kashmir on Saturday (August 1) expressed concern over fresh violence in the region that might overshadow the election.

Parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir will head to the polls on Sunday (August 2), in the second of three rounds of elections that have turned violent this week.

Local resident Mohammad Assam said the deteriorating security situation had persuaded him to boycott the election.

"This is my first election. I had intended to cast my vote for the first time, but given the current state of affairs in the region...I have decided not to vote at all," he said, adding that several people had been injured and others killed in Friday's violence.

Burnt-out vehicles, roads littered with rocks and a heavy security presence marked the streets of Muzaffarabad on Saturday following clashes between protesters and security forces ahead of the second phase of elections, the residents said.

A resident, Iftekhar Rana, alleged that a 35-year-old man was fatally shot while having breakfast outside his home.

Residents expressed concern and called for negotiations instead of confrontation.

"It is Muslims who are dying on both sides. They ought to sit down and resolve whatever demands exist through negotiations. The best and most constructive approach is to settle the matter by sitting at the negotiating table," said local resident Sohaib Ahmed.

Protests during regional elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have turned deadly, with leaders of a banned Kashmiri group saying on Wednesday (July 29) more than 30 people had been killed around one town in clashes with security forces ahead of the second round.

Pakistan's primary governing party, the PML-N, won nine out of the 13 seats that were up for election in the districts of Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber on Monday (July 27). The election was originally scheduled to be held in one round on July 27, but was split into three separate votes by districts, with officials citing security concerns. The second and third rounds are scheduled for August 2 and August 10.

The party that won the elections in 2021, the Imran Khan-founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has boycotted the vote over electoral fraud concerns.

The region's primary protest movement, the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), was banned by the regional government in June, prompting deadly protests last month.

Banking, roads and internet services have largely been disrupted since then, hindering the flow of information, meaning Reuters could not independently verify the figure of over 30 dead given by the JAAC about the clashes around Rawalakot.

Authorities said a member of the security personnel was killed and five more were injured in clashes on Monday.

Pakistani officials have justified the crackdown by alleging that armed and India-backed militants joined the Kashmiri protesters. India has rejected similar accusations in the past.

Tensions in the self-governing and Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir have roots that are decades old, but have recently gained new momentum. Supporters of greater regional autonomy have accused the national government in Islamabad of interference in their political affairs and of economic neglect.

Discontent has often erupted into protests over economic issues. In 2022, demonstrators rallied against high electricity prices in the region, which supplies other parts of Pakistan with cheap hydroelectric power.

The JAAC channelled that anger after it was founded in 2023, and focused on calls for electoral reform. Twelve of the 45 directly elected seats in the local legislative assembly are reserved for constituencies representing what the regional constitution defines as refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir.

But these seats have often been filled by people living outside the region, and the JAAC has accused Islamabad of using them to manipulate local politics — accusations Pakistani government officials have rejected.

Government officials confirmed that one person died and several were injured in clashes between supporters of Pakistan's two main governing parties, the PML-N and PPP, in incidents that were separate from the JAAC's protests.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: MUZAFFARABAD, PAKISTAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR (AUGUST 1, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. PROTESTERS, SOME COVERING FACES, MOVING ROCKS FROM SIDE TO MIDDLE OF ROAD

2. VARIOUS OF ROCKS STREWN ON ROAD, PEOPLE WALKING

3. POLICEMEN GATHERED

4. GUTTED VEHICLE IN MIDDLE OF ROAD

5. VARIOUS OF GUTTED VEHICLES ON ROAD / SMOKE

6. UPTURNED VEHICLE

7. GUTTED VEHICLE / PEOPLE WALKING

8. POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL PATROLLING IN VEHICLES

9. ROCKS STREWN ON STREET, PEOPLE WALKING

10. BLACKENED ROAD / PEOPLE WALKING

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) LOCAL RESIDENT, MOHAMMAD ASSAM, SAYING:

"This is my first election. I had intended to cast my vote for the first time, but given the current state of affairs in the region—which is dire—I have decided not to vote at all. Regarding the situation in Muzaffarabad, security forces opened fire at various locations yesterday; six to seven people were injured at the Plate area, and there are reports of three fatalities, with the funeral prayer for one of the deceased having been offered at Plate between 10:00 and 10:30 last night."

12. IMAM AND MOURNERS CHANTING AS COFFIN IS PLACED ON GROUND (Urdu): "We will sacrifice our youth; we will bring about a revolution"

13. PROTESTERS CHANTING (Urdu): "A revolution will come from your blood"

14. MOURNERS COVERING CASKET WITH FLAG OF PAKISTAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR

15. PROTESTERS CHANTING (Urdu): "Your brother, my brother Shaukat Mir (leader of Joint Action Committee)"

16. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AND PROTESTERS ON STREET

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) LOCAL RESIDENT, IFTEKHAR RANA, SAYING:

"He was having breakfast on the veranda. When the security forces arrived, they opened indiscriminate fire, and a bullet struck him in the chest. There was no first aid available here. Women tried desperately for about half an hour to help him; no men were present because intense firing and shelling were underway in the area at the time. No one could administer first aid, and consequently, he died right there; he was 35 years old."

18. ROCKS STREWN ON STREET / PEOPLE WALKING AND RIDING MOTORBIKES

19. ROAD BLOCKED BY ROCKS / PEOPLE WALKING

20. POLICEMEN GATHERED

21. VARIOUS OF ROCKS ON STREETS / PEOPLE WALKING

22. POLICEMEN STANDING

23. ROCKS / PEOPLE WALKING

24. (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) LOCAL RESIDENT, SOHAIB AHMED, SAYING:

"It is Muslims who are dying on both sides. They ought to sit down and resolve whatever demands exist through negotiations. The best and most constructive approach is to settle the matter by sitting at the negotiating table."

25. TRAFFIC ON STREET

26. ELECTION POSTERS BY ROADSIDE

27. VARIOUS OF ELECTION POSTERS HANGING ON STREET