Protesters and security personnel engaged in deadly clashes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir as the sensitive Himalayan region goes to the polls, an official said on Tuesday.
The fresh unrest began on Monday, the day voting began in parts of the region, with the clashes mostly taking place around the city of Rawalakot, the epicentre of weeks of demonstrations.
"One security force personnel was killed and three others wounded in clashes that have continued since Monday evening between security forces and protesters near Rawalakot," the city's top civilian official Sardar Waheed told AFP.
He added that the standoff was continuing as protesters surrounded the outskirts of Rawalakot, with security personnel holding them back from entering the centre of the city.
There were fears the confirmed death toll could rise.
A spokesperson for protest movement the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) said around 20 of its supporters had been left dead during the clashes.
Waheed said authorities could not confirm that toll.
"Different groups are claiming 18 to 20 deaths, but we cannot verify these figures," he said, saying civilian casualties were not being brought directly to government hospitals.
Pakistan's military did not respond to request for confirmation of the toll, referring AFP to local authorities.
Around 3.8 million residents in the Pakistan-administered portion of the disputed Himalayan region were eligible to vote in an election seen as a test of security after weeks of violent standoffs between police and protesters.
With concerns growing over stretched security personnel, the electoral commission announced less than a week before polls opened that voting would be split into three phases for the first time.
The vote was set to wrap up in Poonch district, which includes Rawalakot, on August 10.
The JAAC has been demanding the abolishment of 12 seats in the local legislature reserved for those who left what is now the India-administered portion of Kashmir.
JAAC supporters, who have called on residents to boycott the vote, say the seats are used by major Pakistani political parties to tip the composition of the local parliament in their favour with those who mostly reside outside the region.
The local government banned JAAC under anti-terrorism laws in June, sparking a wave of demonstrations and clashes that killed dozens with hundreds arrested.
Digital monitor Netblocks and residents have reported widespread internet restrictions that politicians said hampered their campaigning.
Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, but has been divided between the two countries since their independence from British rule in 1947.
