‘Election Commission seems dead in J&K; its prestige is at stake’
Srinagar: Expressing disappointment over the functioning of Election Commission of India in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president today said it seems the ECI is dead in the state.
According to KNS correspondent, Mehbooba while addressing media persons here said that the prestige and credibility of the ECI is at stake as far as its action on National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah latest statement is concerned.
Mehbooba was reacting to Dr Abdullah statement that if he had resources he would have attacked PDP if he had bombs and guns. The PDP president said: “It is unfortunate that the election commission of India who is doing a great job in whole of the country is dead in Jammu and Kashmir. They seem to be dead. They are not taking any action as far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned.”
She said that she was not making any boons about it as she had conveyed to all the authorities about these allegations. “I have told all authorities that the Sarpanch was killed only after Dr Farooq issued threats. The intention of NC is that there should be killings in Kashmir to enforce boycott. They (NC) are trying to harass people just to enforce boycott in their favour,” she said.
Mehbooba said that she has already lodged complaint before the ECI about issues like Wazwan cherished by NC, holy Quran used by a female leader of NC (Sakina Itoo), PDP is in league with militants, and NC to teach a lesson to PDP before the authorities. “We are very disappointed with the functioning of ECI. The model code is being violated on daily basis. Administrative machinery is being misused. They are not taking Kashmir seriously. We want ECI to go through the allegation leveled by Dr Farooq Abdullah. They created STF, SOG they have. We know what the NC-Congress is doing in the state. We want to know why the ECI is not taking any action on these inflammatory statements and all these statements are being followed by violence,” said the KNS correspondent.
She said the prestige and credibility of the ECI is at stake. “If they don’t take cognizance of these complaints it means that they are giving a long rope to hang the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir.” She said the threats issued by Dr Abdullah against PDP are too serious to be ignored by the ECI if they want to conduct free and fair polls in J&K. “ECI should have taken a suo motto notice of the threats issued by Dr Abdullah but we are still lodging a formal complaint,” she said.
Mehbooba said that it was not out of reach for Dr Abdullah to have his threats executed. He as the architect of infamous task force and the creator of ‘the unknown gunman’ could still be retaining sufficient fire power to hit at his rivals especially when it is dawning on him that the game is up for the NC. She said the imminent defeat of NC-Congress alliance at the Centre and in the state has made the NC leadership too jittery for even conducting a civilized campaign and Dr Abdullah is leading that party in its tirade of abuse and violence.
While condemning the killing of Mohammad Amin Pandith, Sarpanch of Gulzarpora, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said the threats issued by Dr Farooq Abdullah were apparently taking toll on the ground. According to KNS correspondent, while addressing a press conference here today, Mehbooba said within hours of Dr Abdullah having said ‘PDP needs to be taught a lesson’, Pandith, who was the member of PDP, was killed by unknown assailants. She said after facing public wrath at different places Dr Abdullah issued serious threats against PDP on Thursdaysaying ‘If he had resources he would carry out hundreds attacks on PDP leaders and workers.’ He made these remarks at around 2:30 PM and at around 9:30 PM Pandith was shot dead.
Mehbooba said there is a very obvious plan for creating a scare that the NC has been implementing in absence of a performance report that is necessary for all political parties at the time of elections as it has to be presented to the voters especially by a ruling party. Since, there is nothing except death, destruction, scandals, atrocities and victimization of youth that NC-Congress could talk about as their achievement in the last five years. “They see their only chance in creating scare and forcing people to boycott elections.”
She said earlier Dr Abdullah had accused PDP of being in league with militants and said that it is not Pakistan but PDP that would target their workers and immediately after two NC workers were targeted and their houses set on fire in Srinagar.
Mehbooba said she had cautioned about such tactics by NC to achieve their limited agenda of staying in power by hook or crook. She said it was disappointing that Election Commission of India had taken no notice of the brazen violation of model code of conduct by the NC. She said while it is appreciable that ECI had taken prompt actions on complaints but in case of Jammu and Kashmir the election body had shut its eyes.
Mehbooba later visited the house of late Mohammad Amin Pandith at Gulzarpora to condole his death. She expressed her solidarity with the bereaved family. Speaking to the people present on the occasion killing innocents’ people will achieve nothing except creating more tragedies. This, she said, has been happening over the past quarter century without resulting into anything positive only graveyards and number of widows and orphans are increasing. (KNS)