‘Elections meant to strengthen occupation’
‘Vajpayee wanted Kashmir to be addressed outside Indian Constitution’
Srinagar: Urging people to stay away from the forth coming polls, Chairman Huriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Friday stated that Kashmir can never be resolved by virtue of the election process.
According to the reports received by KNS, Mirwaiz after delivering Friday sermon at Kashmir’s historic grand mosque stated that the mainstream parties are working on the diktats of New Delhi and that until India changes its policies vis-à-vis Kashmir, no positive change on ground is expected to occur. “In every free country, the election process is the vital part of the democracy but the place where the principles of justice are rubbed under feet- the election process there is nothing sans strengthening occupation.”
Maintaining that the election fray can never be the substitute the right to self-determination, Mirwaiz stated that Kashmir’s pro-freedom camp has always rejected any election process under the umbrella of Indian constitution. “Huriyat treats elections as fraud and deceit. It rejects this process and urges people to reject and stay away from the futile exercise,” Mirwaiz said amid pro-freedom slogans resonating from the Mosque.
Observing that Kashmir can either be resolved through the implementation of UN resolutions or through the tri-partite dialogue, Mirwaiz maintained that the neither the economic packages, nor the jobs and elections can ever soothe peoples’ blighted hearts in Kashmir.
Meanwhile that statement issued to KNS maintained that addressing the huge gathering at the Historical Jamia Masjid Srinagar, Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that while in every nation across the world electoral process is the backbone of its democratic setup, but as far as Kashmir is concerned it is a futile exercise which has no value for the people.Infact the whole process of elections in the state is inimical to the very idea of democracy. A place where the basic human right ,the right to life of the population is trampled upon everyday under the boots of the Armed forces,whose presence makes kasmir the most militarised zone in the world.What good can elections held in such hostile environment bring to the people, Mirwaiz asked.
He said that the only purpose these elections serve is to consolidate Indias contol over the state and to hoodwink the international community by projeting them as peoples verdict in favour of india and hence falsely giving them a character of being some kind of a substitute for the right to self determination guaranteed by the UN,to the people of kashmir.
Terming the elections in Kashmir as a sham process, Mirwaiz Said that pro-Indian political parties are actually representatives of Indian union in Kashmir, Mirwaiz said they were just puppets whose strings are controlled in New Delhi. In reality, he said military ruled the Kashmir which was accepted by the former Indian army Chief VK Singh who said rulers and pro-Indian politicians in Jammu and Kashmir were furthering the policies of Indian state. He said military was the real face of Indian democracy in Kashmir.
Therefore, Huriyat Conference while rejecting this farcical exercise believes that it is best for people to completely stay away from this deceitful process and hence totally reject it.
While commenting on the forth coming parliamentary polls , Mirwaiz said that for the people of Kashmir, change of guard is of no significance, what matters is change of policy viz a viz the issue of kashmir. He said Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his tenure asked the people of India to change their traditional mindset and “shed the beaten track” to address the Kashmir issue outside Indian constitution and within the “ambit of humanity “and in this context initiated a dialogue with Pakistan and the leadership of Kashmir. Mirwaiz said any party which comes to power in india and emulates this outlook, to resolve the kashmir issue and initiates serious dialog with Pakistan and the leadership of kashmir, will be a welcome step.(KNS)