A violent clash during the first phase of elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has left one person dead and several others injured. The incident occurred on July 27 in Nikyal, a town in Kotli district, as voting got underway. According to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), one of its workers, 35-year-old Mukhtar Younus, was shot dead. The PPP accused supporters of the rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of carrying out the fatal attack. Two other party workers were also injured in the firing. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari condemned the killing and questioned the role of the authorities in maintaining order during the polling. The elections in PoK are being held in three phases, from July 27 to August 10, after being postponed from an earlier scheduled date. Security in the region has been heightened, as tensions between political parties have escalated. The first phase saw a number of polling stations open, but reports of irregularities and violence have marred the process. Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the death and the allegations of rigging.