India Calls PoJK Local Elections a Farce
India has rejected the recent “local elections” conducted by Pakistan in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, describing the exercise as a “complete farce” held under violence, intimidation and repression.
India Rejects Elections in PoJK
The Ministry of External Affairs said the electoral exercise lacked credibility and could not conceal Pakistan’s illegal occupation of Indian territory. It accused Pakistani authorities of denying residents their democratic rights while attempting to present the polls as legitimate.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including areas under Pakistan’s control, remain integral and inalienable parts of India.
New Delhi maintained that no election organised by Pakistan could change the territory’s legal status or legitimise Islamabad’s control over the region.
MEA Accuses Pakistan of Repression
The MEA alleged that Pakistani authorities responded to public discontent in the occupied region with bullets, intimidation, communication blackouts and other forms of repression.
India said the elections were conducted against a background of growing public anger over political restrictions, economic exploitation and the denial of fundamental freedoms. It described the exercise as an attempt to camouflage Pakistan’s continued occupation.
The ministry also cited reported violence and coercive measures used against civilians during the electoral process.
India Reaffirms Sovereignty Over PoJK
India reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir legally and irrevocably acceded to the country in 1947. It has consistently maintained that Pakistan has no authority to conduct elections or alter administrative arrangements in the occupied territories.
New Delhi has previously rejected elections organised by Pakistan in both PoJK and Gilgit-Baltistan as cosmetic exercises without legal validity.
The MEA called upon Pakistan to end its illegal occupation and stop attempts to make material changes in the region. It said such political exercises could neither override India’s sovereignty nor obscure the conditions faced by people living under Pakistani administration.
