PoK Protests Explained: Why Refugee-Reserved Seats Are Triggering Deadly Unrest Now

The second phase of the voting process in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was marred by deadly violence and a blanket security crackdown.

The recent election in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has been held against the backdrop of deadly demonstrations, claims of rigging, boycott of the election and a large security presence.

In parts of Muzaffarabad, residents said security forces clashed with protesters, resulting in burnt vehicles, rock-throwing on the roads, and heightened police and paramilitary presence along with army personnel, during the second phase of polling on August 2.

The reason behind the unrest is that the PoK Assembly has a feature of 12 seats being reserved for refugees from Jammu and Kashmir living in Pakistan, which has been in existence for decades. This election, the deal has become the largest political flash point, but they've been in place for years.

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What is the structure of the PoK Assembly?

There are 53 seats in the PoK Legislative Assembly. Forty-five of them are elected, including 12 constituencies for Jammu Kashmir refugees based in different regions of Pakistan.

The remaining eight seats comprise five reserved for women and one each for religious scholars, Kashmiris living overseas and technocrats.

Polling for the 12 refugee constituencies was also conducted along with nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad on 2 August. Presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections were originally planned for 27 July, but were split into three because it was deemed unsafe to hold the elections all at once. The election was also delayed in two seats during the unrest.

Who Elects The 12 Representatives?

The 12 seats are not elected by people living in PoK. They are disputed and decided by the refugees of Jammu and Kashmir who migrated to various parts of Pakistan after the Partition of 1947.

There are seven constituencies in Punjab. One is based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the others include refugee voters against the backdrop of which are distributed across Punjab, Islamabad, Sindh and Balochistan.

For example, Jammu-VI consists of the voters of Punjab, Islamabad and of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Valley-I consists of the voters of Sindh and Balochistan, and Valley-V covers the voters of Punjab and Islamabad. The distribution of the constituencies is based on the location of the refugee population.

The deal has been long been justified in the interest of maintaining the political rights of the Kashmiri’s who have migrated from the valley for a resolution of the Kashmir issue as a whole.

The Assembly of Jammum and Kashmir is also compared, which has also reserved seats for areas under Pakistan's occupation. Those seats, however, remain vacant. Elections are conducted in PoK for 12 constituencies and the elected members of Assembly are the representatives of these constituencies.

Why is the seating of the Legislature so much a topic of debate?

The main complaint is that the people residing in PoK are not allowed to vote for and against the 12 seats as the elected members of these seats can help shape the legislation and decide on the government.

Therefore, the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has included their abolition as one of its primary demands.

Generally, it is the party in power at the Centre that gets the seats, The Indian Express reported. The JAAC has boycotted the elections, claiming Pakistan's mainstream political parties have a direct way to influence the political balance in the PoK Assembly with the arrangement.

What is the reason behind the recent outbreak?

Political representation has become intertwined with a broader campaign against economic grievances and decision-making.

JAAC was established as a platform for traders, lawyers, transporters, students and other civil society members to come together under one umbrella. It started protesting against the prices of wheat, electricity charges, privileges of officials and overall economic management in PoK in 2023.

Following several rounds of talks, the committee presented 38 demands in October 2025. This included enhanced funding for hospitals and education and improved infrastructure and treatment facilities equal to those found in the four provinces of Pakistan, including better payment for hydropower generation.

The government accepted in principle a number of demands, but the issue of the 12 seats was not resolved. It has insisted that it is only possible to remove the seats under a constitutional amendment.

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“The civil society had already raised questions around rights and representation, which were given a common platform with JAAC,” Ayesha Siddiqa, Senior Fellow at King’s College, London, from Pakistan, told The Indian Express.

The situation has taken a turn for the worse since 2019, however, when India removed Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, which Pakistan did not oppose much. In PoK, the future had always been geared towards resolving the Kashmir issue. Post 2019 however, the limbo came under scrutiny. They are not independent, if they are with Pakistan, then they must be better governed by Pakistan," she declared.

When was the crackdown?

The current escalation of the conflict started on June 5 when the PoK government declared that JAAC was a proscribed organisation under its anti-terrorism laws. This was followed by a crackdown where leaders and activists of the JAAC were arrested.

The internet and mobile network signals were also blocked on June 5, planned to stay blocked until June 12. During the unrest there were also reports of restrictions on communications.

The violence escalated before the second stage of voting. In the week before August 2, some 40 people died, with security forces accusing of killing protesters.

Overall, Pakistan sent 2,100 army officers, Federal Constabulary, Rangers and police to the elections under a three-level security plan.

What Has India Said?

India has dismissed the elections as a “cosmetic" affair to validate Pakistan's rule in the region.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has stated the entire Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the Pakistan-occupied region, were part of India.

“The current cosmetic electoral exercise is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and hide its grave human rights violations in the region," he said.

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