Opinion | Kashmir Protests Pakistans move to hold Elections in PoGB: A Public Response

Jammu and Kashmir, with a total area of 222,236 square kilometres, acceded to India on 26 October 1947 following a tribal invasion backed by Pakistan. Today, 78,114 square kilometres of this territory remains under Pakistan’s illegal occupation. This occupied territory is divided into two distinct administrative regions: PoJK and PoGB. For more than 70 years, these occupied territories have lived under Pakistan’s illegal occupation. While the world may know PoJK as “Azad Kashmir,” its people continue to be deprived of basic facilities, meaningful political empowerment, and genuine self-governance. Pakistan exercises significant influence over the region through controversial reserved seats and institutional mechanisms that limit local autonomy.

Similarly, while PoGB is often portrayed as Pakistan’s model region, its residents face a very different reality. To this day, the region lacks full constitutional status and meaningful political rights. Its natural resources are extensively exploited, while the local population, the rightful stakeholders, continues to be deprived of the benefits. For PoGB residents promises of development and representation remain largely unfulfilled.

Both occupied regions have remained in the spotlight in recent months due to the electoral process. Elections in PoGB were held on June 7, while the election schedule for PoJK is yet to be announced. However, reports suggest that polls could be held later in 2026.Even before the elections, PoJK has witnessed widespread public unrest. People across the region have repeatedly protested against Pakistan’s governance model, economic hardships, and what they see as Islamabad’s excessive control over local affairs. The protests have also reflected growing frustration over Pakistan’s unwillingness to address key public demands and concerns. As a result, the political atmosphere in the region remains tense, raising serious questions about governance and public trust ahead of the elections.

As far as PoGB is concerned, it has a different story to tell. It was alleged that the Army engineered the elections in PoGB to favour a particular candidate. The military was accused of influencing the electoral process, and protests were also reported in several areas. These may be mere allegations, but it is Pakistan’s Army we are talking about. If it can influence and control national elections, rigging an election in an occupied territory would be a cakewalk for it. For the world, holding elections in PoGB may appear to be a normal electoral exercise or a democratic process. For many Kashmiris, however, it is different. It is an emotional and painful issue, as these elections are being conducted in a territory that forms part of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.

I spoke to some of my fellow Kashmiris from different backgrounds and age groups who have a good understanding of such matters to seek their views on the issue. All of them expressed their protest, disappointment, and frustration over it.

SYED FURKAN, social worker

Imagine someone from outside takes over your home, runs it as they please, decides who will head the family, where the children will go to school, and how every important decision will be made. How would you feel? Hurt, occupied and violated. That is how many Kashmiris view these elections. That is certainly how I feel. The territory rightfully belongs to us and is an integral part of India. Pakistan’s attempts to alter that reality through administrative measures or electoral exercises do not change the truth. They may create a perception, but they cannot alter the legal and historical facts.

ATIF LONE, writer

For the sake of argument, let us assume that everything is normal in PoGB, that there are no protests, no public grievances, and no trust deficit. Even then, a basic question remains: why not first grant the people of PoGB full constitutional rights and a guaranteed provincial status before holding elections? If Pakistan is genuinely committed to democracy and empowering the region, it should provide constitutional backing, meaningful political representation, and clarity about the region’s future rather than relying on electoral exercises alone. The people of PoGB deserve more than political optics; they deserve rights, certainty, and institutions that genuinely reflect their aspirations.

SYED JAHANZEB, analyst

I categorically register my protest against Pakistan’s decision to hold elections in a territory that it illegally occupies. I reject all attempts by Pakistan to bring about material, political, or administrative changes in a region that rightfully belongs to India. You may impose laws, institutions, and authority on a territory, but you cannot impose them on people’s hearts and convictions. Holding elections in an occupied territory does not erase history, alter legal realities, or rewrite facts. PoGB remains occupied territory and an integral part of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir. No electoral exercise, administrative measure, or political narrative can change that reality.

ISRAAR SHAHID, political expert

PoGB and PoJK are integral parts of Jammu and Kashmir, and Jammu and Kashmir is an inseparable part of the Republic of India. Pakistan holding elections in these territories does not change this historical reality. The people of PoGB continue to face serious economic and governance challenges, including unemployment, poverty, resource exploitation, and recurring energy crises. I view these elections as yet another attempt to legitimise Pakistan’s occupation of the region, an effort that remains futile. On a personal level, I find it deeply painful that our brethren continue to live under foreign occupation and that political processes are imposed upon them without addressing their fundamental aspirations. Whenever I read about PoJK or PoGB, I cannot help but feel that a part of my own body is being controlled from somewhere else. That feeling of separation, loss, and helplessness is difficult to put into words.

PIRZADA REHAN, columnist and student

Politically, these elections appear to be an attempt to legitimise Pakistan’s occupation of PoGB. However, beyond politics, the issue carries a deep emotional significance for many of us. Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India lawfully and willingly in 1947, yet a part of our land was taken away and continues to remain under Pakistan’s occupation. As Kashmiris, many of us feel emotionally violated by this reality. It is not only a question of territory and sovereignty but also of our history, identity, and the choices made by our predecessors. It often feels as though those choices are neither respected nor accepted. Therefore, I strongly protest the recent elections held in PoGB. No electoral exercise, administrative arrangement, or political narrative can legitimise an occupation or alter the historical and legal reality that PoGB is a part of Jammu and Kashmir, and Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.

I spoke to many Kashmiris all of them expressed their protest and disappointment. For us, the continued occupation of PoGB and PoJK hurts not only because of the territorial aspect but also because it feels as though our emotions, history, and collective choices are being ignored. What makes it even more painful is that people living in these regions continue to face various hardships while the international community does little to address their concerns. From a Kashmiri perspective, these elections are often seen as an attempt to legitimise a long-standing occupation and bring about material and political changes in territories which are India’s legally and lawfully. As such, Kashmiris unequivocally reject these electoral exercises and register their protest against what they view as efforts to alter the character and status of these occupied regions that don’t belong to Pakistan lawfully but India always and forever.

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