India slammed the first Assembly elections held in Pakistan-held Northern Areas of Jammu and Kashmir,terming it as "another cosmetic exercise" to camouflage Pakistan's illegal occupation of the state. "The elections in Gilgit-Baltistan are just another cosmetic exercise intended to camouflage the fact of Pakistans illegal occupation of areas of the state of Jammu and Kashmir," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said. He was commenting on the polls held yesterday in Northern Areas,which were recently renamed as Gilgit-Baltistan. Results will be announced on Saturday. The Northern Areas,parts of Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir,have been governed directly by Islamabad ever since Pakistan occupied these in 1947. Ahead of the elections,Pakistan launched a crackdown on the Gilgit-Baltistan Democratic Alliance (GBDA),which is opposed to Pakistani occupation of the regions. Pakistani security forces arrested GBDA chairman Amanullah Khan and a number of other top leaders of the group. According to Balwaristan National Front,a group opposed to Pakistani occupation,Pakistani forces and intelligence agencies have been active in suppressing the whole indigenous population of Gilgit-Baltistan.
