India-held Kashmir votes in round two of regional polls amid protests

Indian illegally occupied Kashmir is holding a second round of voting in elections to elect a regional government.

Kashmiris lined up outside polling stations on Wednesday to vote in the first local government election since New Delhi scrapped the semi-autonomous status of the IIOJK in 2019.

Security was high as the region’s 8.7 million registered voters prepared for the second round.

Engineer Rashid, accused in a alleged terror funding case and jailed for five years, is now out on bail and actively campaigning.

About 500,000 Indian soldiers are deployed in the region, where a 35-year rebellion has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels, including dozens this year.

Diplomats from 16 foreign missions, including the United States and Russia, were set to arrive in Srinagar to observe the vote.

The Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) has called on foreign diplomats not to fall into the Indian government’s trap of peddling a false narrative of normalcy in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Key issues in elections

Key issues in the elections include lack of jobs and rising prices, but the restoration of Kashmiri identity and autonomy remains central.

Since 1990s, an armed insurgency against Indian rule has claimed thousands of lives, including civilians and security forces.

India has faced accusations of human rights violations and cracking down on dissent, with critics saying this has intensified in recent years.

Voting in the recent general elections was seen as a form of resistance against these issues.

PM Narendra Modi promotes a “new Kashmir,” but locals express dissatisfaction, preferring the old *Kashmir.

Despite the elections, real power will remain with the central government in this federally administered region, leaving many skeptical about true change.