BJP-led govt holds farcical elections in Indian-occupied Kashmir
World
India misleads world by holding so-called elections in the occupied valley
SRINAGAR (Web Desk) - The so-called elections in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are being conducted by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government to falsely portray a peaceful and democratic situation to the world.
The issue of Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute that deserves a resolution according to UN Security Council resolutions and in line with the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
As Pakistan has repeatedly pointed out, the only acceptable solution to the Kashmir issue is a UN-supervised referendum.
As has been the practice, preparations for organised election rigging by the Modi government in occupied Kashmir are in full swing, and the Lieutenant Governor has been granted more powers related to police, public order, and transfers and postings.
This time, five seats have been allotted to the Lieutenant Governor — three for Muhajirs and two for Pandits. This increases the chances of manipulation by the BJP in the state assembly by reducing the powers of the chief minister.
In the occupied valley, the Modi administration has been following the Israeli model of converting Muslim-majority areas into Muslim-minority ones.
The central Hurriyat leadership in Kashmir has either been arrested or subjected to pressure from the NIA, SIA, ED, and courts to ensure the victory of BJP supporters in the elections.
After Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment, other leaders, including Asiya Andrabi, who was arrested by the NIA, are now facing trials.
Since August 5, 2019, new parties have been formed to challenge mainstream Muslim-majority parties in occupied Kashmir.
The Indian government has also deployed one million troops in the region to intimidate voters and opposition candidates by curtailing freedom of speech and assembly, shifting the electoral process in favor of its proxies.
The Modi government is turning the valley's Muslim majority into a minority by issuing domiciles to change the demographics. To further disadvantage Muslim voters and leaders, 22 constituencies have been reshuffled through gerrymandering to show them as Hindu-majority areas.
Among the key outcomes of the new delimitation, six additional seats have been allocated to Jammu and one to Kashmir.
Suffice it to say, the elections in this suffocating atmosphere in occupied Kashmir cast serious doubts on the legitimacy of the democratic process.
The presence of nearly one million troops in occupied Kashmir gives the impression of a military exercise rather than an electoral process, undermining the attempt to portray a peaceful situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
The last census in the occupied valley was conducted in 2011, and the Indian government has not conducted a fresh census even after 13 years.
More than 40 percent of the 908 candidates—360—contesting the elections in occupied Kashmir are independent candidates. They are being supported by the BJP and security forces to split Muslim votes, while the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is banned and around 48 of its leaders are currently under illegal detention.
