International
oi-Swastika Sruti
In the latest development, violence took the centre stage in the first phase of elections in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir. One worker of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lost his life during polling, while rival political parties accused each other of intimidation and attempts to influence voters.
Violence occurred during the first phase of elections in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Mirpur division, resulting in the death of a PPP worker in Kotli district, with Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari questioning election security.
Informing that the voting was held across 13 constituencies in Mirpur division on Monday. Polling began at 8 am and was scheduled to end at 5pm but the election officials extended the voting by one hour after reviewing the situation, reported by Dawn.
PPP Worker Killed During Polling
The incident took place in Nakyal tehsil of Kotli district, where PPP worker Mukhtar Younus was killed during violence reported at a polling location.
The PPP alleged that supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Sardar Umair Naeem were involved in the incident. The party demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible and called on the authorities to strengthen security to ensure voters could cast their ballots safely.
The incident added to growing concerns about law and order during the election and drew strong reactions from senior PPP leaders.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari Questions Election Security
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed concern over the death of the party worker.
According to the party, Bilawal claimed that earlier warnings regarding the presence of armed supporters linked to the PML-N candidate had been ignored. He also criticised the Election Commission and local administration, saying they did not act despite receiving information about potential security threats before polling began.
The PPP maintained that better preventive measures could have avoided the tragic incident.
