Srinagar, Oct 16 (KNS): On the culmination of the last phase of ULB polls, Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik said that by Govt of India’s own admission 95% people’s rejection of these elections, forced upon them by the Indian state authorities is a clear indication that the alienation of people of Kashmir from India is complete.
In a statement issued to KNS, JRL said that “the leadership deeply appreciates and commends people for the political maturity and commitment to the cause of self determination shown by them in a comprehensive boycott of this election. People of Kashmir have sent a clear message to the Indian state.”
“If Government of India always projected to people in India and the outside world , a good percentage of participation of Kashmiri people in its elections as an endorsement of India’s rule, by the same yardstick GOI should now accept people’s near total boycott of them as a referendum against it,” JRL said.
The leaderships said that “this coercive and harassing exercise of elections, where candidates, polling areas and even polling stations were undisclosed by the ruling authorities, where scores of secret candidates were chosen unopposed was mainly carried out at this time, to help the BJP in its electoral prospects in India next year and to thrust the party on people of the Kashmir.”
JRL said that by rejecting them people of Kashmir have conveyed that since 1947 being under forcible Indian control, elections have made no difference to them as directly or indirectly through pro India regional parties, it is government of India which rules them and whose writ runs here.
“In reality it is Indian military might that rules here whose consequence is severe repression and coercion in people. In such situations democratic processes lose all credibility and carry no meaning and are reduced to a farce,” JRL said.
JRL reiterated that J&K is a dispute and its people are asking for resolution of the dispute. “They are not interested in selection or election and no election can ever be a substitute for that resolution or a way to it. GOI should accept this fact and work towards the resolution of the conflict as per the democratic principle of people’s aspirations and will,” they said.
JRL also expressed serious concern over the sedition charges levelled against two Kashmiri students in Aligarh Muslim University over planning nimaz e jinaza prayers for Manan Wani and the atmosphere of fear and intimidation being created for Kashmiri students quoting from a letter in print by Kashmiri students of AMU who said that “more and more students are being named and framed with fake charges”.
JRL said that “it is very unfortunate and deeply disturbing that Kashmir students studying in India are being targeted.”
They demanded that the concerned authorities should put a stop to the harassment and drop the charges of sedition against the two students. (KNS)