The fifth phase of the 18th Lok Sabha Elections 2024 concluded on Monday with a historic voter turnout in the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) data, the Baramulla constituency witnessed a record-breaking turnout if over 59 per cent.

This turnout marks a significant increase from previous years. Notably, following the abrogation of Article 370, there has been a noticeable rise in voter participation, with Baramulla now recording the highest turnout in the constituency’s last 40 years of parliamentary election history.

In the 2009 parliamentary polls, Baramulla saw over 41 percent voter participation, which dropped to 39.13 per cent in 2014 and further to 34.57 per cent in 2019.

Baramulla’s voter turnout not only surpassed the 1996 record of 46.65 percent but also demonstrated the highest participation rate since 1984. Among the 18 Assembly constituencies under the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, Handwara registered the highest turnout with over 72 percent of votes cast.

Regarding the contestation, key candidates in the Baramulla constituency include Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) leader and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Jammu and Kashmir People Conference (JKPC) leader Sajad Gani Lone, Independent candidate Engineer Abdul Rashid Sheikh, and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Mir Mohammad Fayaz.

PM Modi and HM Shah laud the increased turnout

The increased voter turnout has been attributed to the abrogation of Article 370, which has instilled a renewed sense of hope among the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, his shift suggests a growing acceptance of their integration into the Indian democratic process and a commitment to development and growth.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have praised the highest voter turnout in 40 years, viewing it as a strong response to critics of the abrogation of Article 370. They have lauded the people of Jammu and Kashmir for their enthusiastic participation in the democratic process.

The record turnout in Baramulla is seen as a significant milestone in the region’s electoral history, reflecting a positive shift towards greater political engagement and civic responsibility.

In a tragic development, students from Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (POGB) have started facing violent attacks across various cities in Pakistan following their protests against Pakistani occupation of their territories.

Extremist elements of the fundamentalist group Jamaat-e-Islami reportedly pelted stones and physically assaulted POGB students in Lahore.

Videos of the Lahore attacks have gone viral on social media, highlighting the distressing condition of native POGB students.

Islamabad police crackdown on POGB students

This surge of violence comes on the heels of Islamabad Police arresting multiple students who were protesting against Pakistani occupation and oppression in POGB.

Following massive protests outside the Islamabad Press Club, more than two dozen students were apprehended for raising their voices against the occupation. These arrests exposed the hypocritical stance of the Pakistani authorities, who cited the imposition of Section 144 as a basis for the arrests, while another protest continued without any restrictions just a few meters away.

Pak leasing POGB land to private companies

The unrest in POGB is fueled by the leasing of its land to powerful Pakistani individuals and private companies depriving the native populace of their rights. Recently, multiple nurseries and guest houses were allocated to former Pak Army officials and a private Pakistani company by the occupied government of POGB.

What POGB Awaki Action Committee said?

Local leaders, speaking from the Gilgit Press Club, warned that if conditions akin to those in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) are imposed, POGB will respond robustly. Meanwhile, Comrade Baba Jan, addressing the conference, stated that the people of POGB are not afraid of jail and legal cases, and that decisions will be taken on the streets.

Leaders of the Awami Action Committee also accused Pakistan of pushing the region into the hands of private companies, highlighting the ongoing protests over the past six months against the power abuse by Pakistan and its puppet government. They argue that Pakistan is selling POGB to powerful Pakistanis, exploiting the region and rendering the native populace downtrodden.

In a series of Pak backed terrorist attacks, one individual was killed and two others injured in two separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian and Anantnag districts on the night of Saturday (May 18).

In the first incident, terrorists fired upon an open tourist camp in Anantnag district late Saturday night, injuring two civilians. The victims, identified as Farha and her spouse Tabrez, both residents of Jaipur in Rajasthan, were attacked in Yanner at the Pahalgam tourist resort.

Swift action by security forces led to the area being cordoned off, and the injured couple was evacuated and admitted to a hospital for further treatment. They are being treated in the nearby hospital.

According to Tabrez’s father Aslam Khan, his son, along with his wife, went to Jammu and Kashmir on May 13. When they were going to their hotel, two terrorists, riding on a bike, opened fire upon them. He also requested the government to transfer them to AIIMS from Srinagar for better treatment.

Former Sarpanch and BJP leader shot to death

Meanwhile, in a separate attack in Shopian district, terrorists fired upon a former Sarpanch, Ajaz Ahmad Sheikh, at close range in Hirpora around 10:30 PM on Saturday. Sheikh, who was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for advanced treatment, succumbed to his injuries.

Sheikh was the BJP leader in the valley. Notably, the elections for Lok Sabha are going on for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. In earlier phase, Srinagar witnessed record breaking second highest polling in four decades.

Nonetheless, the last rites of the deceased former Sarpanch have been performed in Shopian. Huge number of natives reached the site to pay condolences to the deceased.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army, J&K Police and BSF launched a joint operation in Tarnah nalla near Jangi chak in Hiranagar, Kathua after detecting suspicious movement of three suspected terrorists near the International Borders during an intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

The operation is currently underway, with latest updates awaited.