Polls opened amid clashes in a weeks-long local election in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the New York Times reports, with officials saying dozens have died in recent weeks. A banned rights group says police killed its supporters; its earlier claim that Pakistani forces shot 30 demonstrators remains unverified.
Kashmir is a disputed territory, part of which is administered by Pakistan. The current topic concerns protests in that Pakistan-administered part and the response of Pakistani authorities to them. A local civil rights group alleges that Pakistani forces used lethal force against unarmed demonstrators, an allegation reported by the Guardian and so far unconfirmed. A communications blackout imposed in the territory restricts the flow of information, so independent verification of casualty claims is currently limited.
Clashes broke out as polls opened in a weeks-long local election in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, the New York Times reports. Officials said dozens of people have died in recent weeks, and a banned civil rights group said its supporters died in confrontations with the police.
A local civil rights group alleges that Pakistani authorities fatally shot at least 30 unarmed demonstrators in Pakistan-administered Kashmir over the past days and removed evidence of the killings, the Guardian reports. The allegations are unconfirmed and come amid a communications blackout in the territory.