18/9/2024–|Last update: 9/18/202409:59 AM (Makkah Time)
Voters in the Indian-administered part of the country have begun to cast their ballots. Kashmir (Northwest) This morning, Wednesday, they cast their votes in local elections, the first in this disputed region between New Delhi and Islamabad since the Indian government revoked the autonomy it enjoyed.
Polling stations opened their doors to voters in the morning to cast their votes in the first phase of these elections, which will be held, for security reasons, in stages divided by time and geography.
Some 8.7 million registered voters were called to vote in these local elections. The first lines of voters formed in the streets of the regional capital Srinagar, amid a heavy deployment of security forces.
The Indian part of the region has been without a government since 2019 after the government abolished Narendra Modi The partial autonomy enjoyed by the region was restored and it was returned to direct rule by New Delhi.
The local elections, which began on Wednesday and whose results will be announced next month, come in the wake of increasing clashes between security forces and citizens.
In the last two years, more than 50 soldiers have been killed in clashes, especially in Jammu city.
Kashmir is a mountainous region inhabited by a Muslim majority, and is divided between India and Pakistan, which dispute sovereignty over the entire region.
Kashmir has become a new battleground between the Indian authorities and the region's Muslim population, who reject the de facto policy that New Delhi is trying to impose in the region.
Strengthening New Delhi's rule over its part of the region is a key pillar of the party. Bharatiya Janata Party Hindu nationalist led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Indian-administered part has seen unrest for more than three decades that has left tens of thousands dead, while India accuses Pakistan of training and supporting rebels in Kashmir, a charge Islamabad denies.
