India condemns Pakistan's PoK local elections as farce amid deadly crackdown

India’s Ministry of External Affairs, represented by spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, denounced the local body elections held in Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir (PoK) as a “complete farce”. Jaiswal said the electoral exercise cannot conceal the reality on the ground, where Pakistani security forces have responded to public discontent with “bullets, blackouts, intimidation and repression”. He claimed that at least 90 civilians have been killed and many more injured since June, amid protests that began on June 5 and are led by the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC). The protests cite rising living costs, alleged administrative apathy and political discrimination. India urged the international community, including the United Nations and European countries, to hold Pakistan accountable and see through its “hypocritical lecturing on human rights”. Former diplomat Surendra Kumar and human‑rights activist Tasleema Akhter also called for stronger international pressure on Pakistan over the alleged violations.