Pakistan's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) has secured an early lead in elections for the legislative assembly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to results from the first two phases of voting.
Regional election commission spokesman Raja Shakeel said candidates backed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party won 24 of the 34 seats decided so far.
Voting for the remaining 11 seats is scheduled for August 10, but the PML-N is already on course to form the next regional government.
The result marks the party's return to power in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after a decade.
According to the election commission, turnout exceeded 56% in the regional capital, while participation surpassed 50% in many other areas despite security concerns and calls for a boycott.
Shakeel said the election is being conducted in three phases because of security concerns and heavy monsoon rains, which complicated campaigning and made large outdoor rallies difficult.
The campaign was overshadowed by weeks of protests led by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which urged residents not to participate in the vote.
The regional government banned the group, citing security and public order concerns.
Supporters of the JAAC reportedly clashed with police ahead of Sunday's vote, although residents still turned out to cast their ballots despite fears of violence.
Nawaz Sharif congratulated the successful candidates in a statement following the release of the results.
The dispute surrounding the election has centred on 12 legislative seats reserved for people displaced from Indian-controlled Kashmir.
The JAAC argues the seats give disproportionate political influence to people living outside Pakistan-administered Kashmir and has called for their abolition.
In June, the region's Supreme Court ruled that the reserved seats are protected under the constitution and cannot be abolished without a constitutional amendment.
Authorities have accused JAAC supporters of attempting to disrupt the election and alleged that members of the Pakistani Taliban infiltrated the protests. The JAAC has not responded to the allegations.
The group, formed in 2023, is seeking greater political rights for the people of Kashmir. The government says it has accepted 36 of the group's 38 demands, while maintaining that any decision on the reserved seats rests with the legislative assembly.
