On 10 October, various media outlets in Pakistan commented on the recently concluded Jammu and Kashmir elections in India. An editorial in Dawn titled “IHK poll results” termed the election results, including the possible government by “the pro-India National Conference, in a combined ticket with Congress” as “interesting.” The editorial, however, pointed out that the BJP came in second and attributed this to the 2022 delimitation which had allegedly resulted in “seats for Hindu-majority areas” being increased. It also highlighted that this was BJP’s best performance in the region. However, the editorial expressed skepticism over the fairness of the polls citing the continued incarceration of many All Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders and the veteran Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik’s “unfair trial.” The editorial also wondered whether the political dispensation in Delhi will respect people’s mandate. It also reiterated Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir dispute that any resolution is only possible through “a genuine tripartite political process involving the people of Kashmir, Pakistan and India.” The editorial claimed that the BJP needed to “introspect” over the poll results as Kashmiris have rejected the “development narrative” and suggested that returning the state’s autonomy was the only solution.
 
Contrary to the Dawn, an editorial in The News International title “IIOJK elections,” termed the result of the J&K polls as “a blow to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to solidify his grip on this occupied region.” It argued this development not just a “political setback” for PM Modi but a rejection/Failure of his Kashmir policy which include- revocation of its special status in 2019, “widespread abuses in the region,” during his administration, including “arbitrary detentions and house arrests to severe censorship and brutal assaults on dissenters.”
The editorial, however, lamented that despite Kashmiri people’s anti-BJP verdict their situation remains “grim” as they have remained “under under occupation for over seven decades.” The editorial also drew a parallel between the international community’s apathy towards both Palestinians and the Kashmiris. The editorial alleged that this is because India is viewed as “an economic and geopolitical partner” by the world. The editorial concluded that the anti-BJP verdict in the recent elections in Jammu and Kashmir is a response by the people to silence them and a call for “their right to self-determination.”
 
Similarly, an editorial in The Express Tribune titled “Kashmir: sham election” hailed the election results as one that was unexpected by the BJP given that through its policies it had tried to alter the regional demographics in its favor. The editorial, however, conceded that the party had reaped short-term benefits. Further, the editorial argued that while “the vote was most certainly a referendum on the BJP's policies,” this electoral setback will be “meaningless” as the BJP has ensured that local parties in the region will work within the bounds of “pro-India framework.” Additionally, the ruling party has also indicated that the state government will only be allowed to have “some control over education and culture, with other legislative authority remaining in New Delhi.”

References
“IHK poll results,” Dawn, 10 October 2024; “IIOJK elections,” The News International, 10 October 2024
“Kashmir: sham election,” The Express Tribune, 10 October 2024