Foreign diplomats from 15 countries were allowed to observe local elections in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on Wednesday, as New Delhi highlighted the first vote in the disputed Himalayan territory in a decade.
It was the first time India has invited foreign diplomats to witness voting in the region, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped of its partial autonomy five years ago, though Delhi has hosted similar trips on other occasions and a G20 meeting on tourism there last year.
More than nine million voters are eligible to choose members for the region’s 90-seat legislature in the three-phase election, the second phase of which was underway on Wednesday.
The vote is the first in the region since 2014.
The visitors, including diplomats from embassies of the United States, Mexico, Singapore, Spain and South Korea, among others, visited polling stations across the Muslim-majority IIOJK, officials in Srinagar and New Delhi said.
“It is a rare opportunity to come to Kashmir and see the electoral process in action and see democracy. It looks very smooth, everything is very professional,” said Jorgan K Andrews, deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy.
Until 2019, IIOJK had a special semi-autonomous status that was revoked by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) government which said that the move has “helped restore normalcy in the area and boosted development.”
But Modi’s opponents said the visit by diplomats was not necessary.
“When foreign governments comment (on IIOJK), the government of India says this is an internal matter for India, and now suddenly they want foreign observers to come and look at our elections,” said Omar Abdullah, leader of the local National Conference party.
After casting his vote, Abdullah emphasised that the IIOJK elections are “an internal matter for us and we do not need their certificate”.
In the past, pro-independence fighters have targeted elections in IIOJK, and voter turnout has been largely weak. The territory, however, recorded its highest turnout in 35 years in national elections held in April and May, with a 58.46% participation rate.
