Coordination Committee to launch door-to-door anti-poll campaign
SRINAGAR: The Coordination Committee spearheading the ongoing resistance movement has decided to start door-to-door anti-election campaign across the Valley from Monday. The Coordination Committee comprising pro-freedom parties, traders, lawyers, and members of civil society took decisions after a marathon meeting of the Coordination Committee at the Lower Court.
“From Monday we have decided to launch door-to-door anti-election campaign in the constituencies which are scheduled to go for polls. The activists of the Committee’s constituents will inform people about futility of election which are just being held to suppress the aspirations of Kashmiris,” senior leader of the Coordination Committee and president of High Court Bar Association, Mian Abdul Qayyum told reporters at a press conference.
Qayyum termed the elections as an attempt to hoodwink the international community of aspirations of Kashmiris. He said the Government of India has “fielded its agents as candidates in Kashmir and given each of them one crore rupees to contest the elections.”
He said in each constituency, a record 20-30 candidates are contesting so that “voting by their relatives adds up and can be advertised as huge turnout. “New Delhi wants to impose election in the state despite fully knowing that its people have been offering sacrifices for right of self-determination. How can people who thronged the streets in lakhs for plebiscite vote under Indian constitution?”
Accusing the Government of coercing people to vote, Qayyum said the polling figures in first phase of election were exaggerated.
Qayyum condemned the killing of two boys by the guards of a Congress candidate in Varmul, and termed it as an act of “state terrorism.“How can the election be free and fair when they are held in presence of troops and cops who have been given license to kill? The duo was killed just to terrorize people and force them to vote.”
Qayyum accused the government controlled Radio Kashmir and Doordarshan of biased reporting and condemned the restrictions on the local newspapers and electronic channels.
Whereas Stating that India is using the turnout in the State Assembly elections as a substitute for plebiscite, Chairman of People’s Conference, Sajad Gani Lone has urged people of Ganderbal and Kangan to stay away from the exercise adding that it will facilitate resolution of Kashmir issue.
“While the mainstream parties create a perception of elections being for governance, the fact is that they are mute spectators when India internationally portrays these elections as being a substitute for UN resolutions calling for plebiscite,” he said in a statement issued here.
“The most recent example is India’s arrogant response to Pakistan’s statement that elections cannot be a substitute for plebiscite. Participating in the electoral process will only impede resolution of Kashmir issue resulting in more loss of lives and will ensure continued presence of army,” he added.-SANA
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