Ahead of the final phase of a local election in Indian-controlled Kashmir, a key resistance leader says the regional polls to choose a local government will not resolve the decades-old conflict that is at the heart of a dispute between New Delhi and Pakistan.

The final phase of voting to choose a local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir wrapped up Tuesday, the first such vote since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped the disputed region of its special status five years ago.

Residents of Indian-controlled Kashmir are participating in a local election under tight security, marking the first time in decades that separatist groups are not boycotting the vote. For decades, separatists in Kashmir boycotted elections,

SRINAGAR, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Foreign diplomats from 15 countries were allowed to observe local elections in India's Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, as New Delhi highlighted the first vote in the disputed Himalayan territory in a decade.

Indian-administered side of the disputed region is voting in the first polls since New Delhi revoked its autonomy in 2019