Legislative elections are due to begin in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, or Azad Jammu and Kashmir, amid months of unrest, blockades and strikes. Since June, clashes between protesters and joint forces have killed at least 40 people, according to the report. Banking services were shut for two weeks, while mobile and internet links remain completely cut off in most areas.

The election for the 45-seat legislature has been divided into three phases. Voting in Muzaffarabad and for 12 seats reserved for refugees is scheduled for August 2, while polling in Poonch division, described as the movement’s main centre, is set for August 10. The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, which leads the protest movement, has called on supporters to boycott the vote.

A central demand is abolition of the 12 seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir living in Pakistani cities. The Azad Kashmir Supreme Court said the constitutionally protected arrangement can only be changed through a constitutional amendment, but no parliament currently exists after its term expired. Pakistan’s government cited refugees’ historical rights, while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif urged protesters to decide the issue through voting.