Elections will be held in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on July 27, the authorities announced on Friday. India has maintained that Pakistan has been in illegal possession of the Indian Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. In a notification, the regional Election Commission on Friday said that candidates could file nomination papers from June 9 to 19, while the scrutiny of nomination papers would be carried out on June 20. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until June 30, an official said, adding that the final list of candidates would be published on July 2. The polling would take place on July 27 under the supervision of the army, paramilitary and civil armed forces, he said. There are 53 seats in the Legislative Assembly - 45 are directly elected, while eight seats are reserved for women, technocrats and clerics. The assembly is elected for five years.