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Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Friday stated that conducting the so-called polls in an internationally recognized disputed territory like Jammu and Kashmir, would always remain a meaningless exercise till Kashmiris do not get their right to decide their political future as pledged by the international community and the UN.

According to a statement issued to KNS, since 1947, Mirwaiz stated that Kashmiris have always rejected such futile electoral processes. Addressing a massive gathering at historic Jamia masjid, Mirwaiz stated that the staged polls in the disputed territory can never be a substitute for the right to self determination. He said that Kashmiri have not rendered innumerable sacrifices for the sake of power, but for the sake of achieving their basic political right ,the right to decide their self determination.

APHC chairman said that its stand  with regard to any electoral processes is clear, which is that unless the political future and dispensation  of J&K is not decided, any and every state managed polls are a meaningless and a futile exercise

Asserting that in the past decade when people of East Timor, Quebec, and South Sudan have been given the right to decide their political future as wished by them why does the international community shirk from its responsibility when it comes to J&K ,a place with  an area which is bigger than 42 countries on the world map.

Terming the recent statement of Pakistan foreign office regarding elections in Kashmir as based on reality, Mirwaiz said conducting polls in Kashmir was in actuality illegal as far as international laws are concerned. He said two important stakeholders of Kashmir dispute, i.e the people of kashmir and Pakistan, have already rejected the poll processes in Kashmir. Hence, the UN, OIC, European Union and international community should take this fact into account as it greatly undermine the credibility and legality  of the whole process.

Amid forceful slogans of “We want Freedom” “No election, No selection,” Mirwaiz  said that people are fully aware about their role and responsibilities at this crucial juncture. He urged the people to shun the poll process as they have done in the past and show their unflinching commitment towards the freedom struggle.

Hailing the people of South Kashmir for rejecting the elections, Mirwaiz said that the pro-freedom loving people of Srinagar would also follow the same path as they have done in the past to show their resolve towards the movement. Meanwhile as a part of public contact programme, several Hurriyat leaders addressed public rallies in Kashmir during which the asked people to remain away from the so called election process. The senior Hurriyat leaders who addressed the gatherings include, Zaffar Akbar Bhat and Javaid Ahmad Mir at Burzhama Hazrat Bal, and  Hakim Abdul Rashid at Lal Bazaar. Hurriyat has sternly criticized the arrest of Hakim Abdul Rashid after he addressed the gatherings at Lal Bazaar. (KNS)

Khansheb: National Conference Party President Dr. Farooq Abdullah addressed a massive public meeting in Watrehal, Khan Sahib today in presence of Chief Minister and NC Working President Omar Abdullah.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that the Modi-Mufti Alliance has been rejected by the people of South Kashmir and PDP will similarly be routed from North and Central Kashmir in the coming days. Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that National Conference believes in the ethos of secularism and pluralism and will not allow BJP and PDP to toy with the secular fabric of this State and the country for petty short-term political gains.

According to a statement issued to KNS, stating that National Conference would continue to safeguard Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gives special status to J&K, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and PDP, by aligning with Narendra Modi had tried their best to deceive the people of their State for their own personal political interests. However, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that such evil designs are not new in this State and in fact this is not the first time Mufti Sayeed has conspired against the State’s special status. “Like always, National Conference will defeat Mufti Sayeed, PDP and their nefarious plans to disempower the State of J&K”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said.

Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that National Conference will keep demanding the restoration of complete Autonomy and the restoration of the pre-1953 status till this goal is achieved. “We passed the Autonomy Resolution in the State Assembly in 2000 and forwarded it to the NDA government in New Delhi. However, the same people who are conspiring to abrogate Article 370 now, sabotaged the resolution and ensured that it is not adopted”. Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that Autonomy was a practical and viable solution to the Kashmir Issue and would usher the State into an era of greater and sustainable peace.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that PDP had fielded candidates tactically in Jammu and Udhampur seats to divide the anti-BJP vote to directly help BJP candidates. “This tactical alliance between PDP and BJP in Jammu was an addition to the party’s sabotage of Ghulam Nabi Azad’s government in 2008. That sabotage was also done by PDP on the insistence of BJP”.

Dr. Farooq Abdullah asked the people to vote in large numbers in favor of the NC-Congress coalition in the Parliament Elections in Srinagar Parliamentary Seat so that the secular traditions of this country are saved from a figure as communal and divisive as Narendra Modi. Senior NC Leaders, Abdul Rahim Rather, Aga Syed Ruhullah and Nasir Aslam Wani also addressed the people on this occasion and appealed to the people to strengthen secularism in the State by re-elecing National Conference Candidate to the Lok Sabha. (KNS)

‘NC leaders have developed vested interest in violence, bloodshed’;

Party tearing apart democratic institutions in JK: Ansari

Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today cautioned National Conference (NC) against pushing Kashmir again into a quagmire of death and destruction for petty political gains.

According to a statement issued to KNS, Sayeed said while addressing a series of election meetings in Zadibal and Kangan Assembly segments of Srinagar Parliamentary constituency: “I am sure the emancipated voters of Srinagar won’t allow NC to reenact the gory gambit of orchestrating reckless violence and using various devious means to ensure poll boycott, as it tried to do in South Kashmir.”

PDP Senior Vice-President Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, party’s candidate for Srinagar Parliamentary constituency Tariq Hammed Karra, Moulvi Abid Ansari and Moulvi Imran Ansari also addressed the rallies. He said NC’s very presence on the political landscape of J&K has now become a permanent threat to the State’s peace and stability as the party has developed vested interest in violence and bloodshed. Sayeed said while despite all their violent machinations, NC leaders failed to suppress in South Kashmir the people’s yearning for change, it is now for the voters of Srinagar Parliamentary constituency to carry forward this movement for change in the interest of peace and economic prosperity. “The massive effort that had gone into creating a new atmosphere of peace, reconciliation and resolution in and around J&K seems at a real risk of going waste due to the violent machinations of NC,” he said adding that in the absence of a sustained political and administrative effort Kashmir is unfortunately sliding back into the vortex of violence perpetuated by NC and co.

Sayeed said it is now absolutely clear that the miseries the people of J&K have been undergoing for the past five decades are the outcome of the deceitful tactics resorted to by NC leaders in their lust for power. He cautioned that J&K could perhaps land up in a bigger trouble this time if NC is allowed to subvert the democratic institutions and processes, the way it did in 1987 in the run up to the worst ever political turmoil the State underwent for the past more than two decades. “But with the support of the people, PDP would fight every such move of the NC tooth and nail that is aimed at robbing the State’s people of their democratic rights,” he said. Sayeed said while the State as a whole has borne the brunt of NC’s exploitative politics, Srinagar city has become the main victim of development deficit and misgovernance during the past 6 years.  “If this historic city is facing a massive development crisis today, it is all because of NC, which has not been able to take the development discourse in Srinagar beyond lanes and drains,” he said and added it’s a shame to see that even a brief shower inundates the whole city, traffic jams make the life miserable and the socio-economic problems of the people are compounding with every passing day.

Sayeed said unfortunately the massive developmental interventions like Rapid Transport System, drainage network, institutional upgradation, beautification and conservation program for Dal and other water bodies initiated by the PDP government between 2002 and 2005 were put on backburner by the present regime.  “Earlier Omar Abdullah used to apologize for his grandfather’s fault of gifting J&K to India, his father’s baggage of implementing POTA, constituting Task Force, rigging elections, institutionalizing corruption, banning Shahtoosh and recruitments, now he (Omar) has to rightfully add his own non-performance to the list of apologies,” he said. Addressing the rallies, PDP senior Vice-President Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari said as a partner of the coalition government with Congress, PDP had pursued the goals and objectives set in the common minimum program for finding a peaceful resolution to the problems of the State, rolling back of the draconian laws and pursuing a healing touch policy in its dealings with the people. He said unfortunately, the National Conference has played the most intriguing role at the crucial phases of the State’s history to sabotage any solution to the problem. “As NC never believes in democracy and people’s verdict and has always resorted to manipulative and exploitative tactics to grab power, it is once again trying to take recourse to same tactics to tear down the democratic institutions in the State,” he said. “NC sold the very soul of the State by gifting water resources to the NHPC, which generated billions from it and J&K having steeped into perpetual darkness as a result”, Ansari said and added that Omar Abdullah had gone a step ahead of his father in handing over the fully operational Baghliar power project to NHPC within the first two months of assuming office. He said earlier Dr Farooq Abdullah had gifted seven power projects to NHPC in 2000 to please his BJP friends in NDA Government. He urged people to vote and support Tariq Hameed Karra, PDP candidate for Srinagar-Budgam Parliamentary constituency to send a strong representative voice to the Parliament. PDP leaders Mohammad Khursheed Alam, Syed Ahmad, Arshid Ahmad Dar, Bashir Ahmad Mir , Mushtaq Ah ZP, Mian Javid, Syed Irfan Naqashbani, and and others also spoke on the occasion. (KNS)

Srinagar: The UJC chief and Hizbul Mujahideen supremo Syed Salahudin Friday hailed the people of south Kashmir for observing boycott of Lok Sabah elections, stating that this time again the people of Kashmir have proved the dissent at large.

According to a statement issued by Syed Sadat Hussian, Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman to KNS, the UJC chief has stated that the people of Kashmir have given a clear message to New Delhi that they reject the polls under the Indian constitution.  “Despite the crackdown upon the leaders and terror unleashed on common people, the resistance shown by the people is sumptuous.”

He stated further that the people of Kashmir will prefer to sacrifice their lives instead of laying down their heads before the ‘oppressor’. “From the armed resistance camp of Kashmir, we want to congratulate and salute the people for observing complete poll boycott.”

He has also warned that with the passage of time, the militant outfits will intensify their strikes against security forces. “Those who have betrayed the movement will have to answer here in this world and on the day of judgment. They will have to repent.” The UJC chief has said that like Anantnag, he expects people will observe complete boycott in rest of the phases of elections in Kashmir. “That day is bound to come when Kashmiri will succeed in their freedom struggle,” Sallahudin said while strongly condemning  the force used against journalists in Kashmir. “No doubt a section of Media is toeing Indian line but a major portion is reflecting the true sentiments of Kashmiri people.” (KNS)

Expresses sympathy with Zia-ul-Haq’s family ‘Happy on boycott by Pandit, Sikh communities

Srinagar: Expressing his deep sorrow and dismay over the killing of a polling officer in Shopian, chairman Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Geelani expressed his sympathy with the bereaved family and condoled the demise.

According to a statement issued to KNS, he said that the election in Jammu and Kashmir are actually a practical military operation and government employees are forcibly included into this military operation which doesn’t have any moral or legal justifications and it is also a grave human rights violation.

Geelani said that as there is a huge presence of Indian forces in the shape of 7.5 lakh army, paramilitary forces and police, so government should select its polling staff among these police and other forces and the civil employees should not be dragged into this military exercise.

He said that the election drama in Jammu and Kashmir is held in war like situation and the government employees are forcibly involved in this game, which is excess with them and it doesn’t have any justification. “The government employees are held hostage which is totally against the international laws.”

While expressing his sympathy with bereaved family of polling officer Zia-ul-Haq, Geelani also advised the government employees that they should resist their forced selection or deployment and if the government will further force them, they can fight it out in the judiciary also.

Expressing pleasure over the election boycott of our Pandit and Sikh brothers in first phase of election drama, Geelani said that due to the long pending Kashmir dispute, Muslims as well as non-Muslims brothers of Jammu and Kashmir are facing lot of difficulties and troubles day in and day out and these non-Muslim brothers are also trapped in political instability situation.

He said that the solution of Kashmir dispute should be on the basses of right to self-determination in which every individual of entire Jammu and Kashmir including Ladakh, Jammu, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan and of any religion cast or creed, will be given a chance to express his choice and whatever the result will be, we are bound to accept that.

Geelani said that the decision of Pandit and Sikh brothers to support the Muslim brothers in election boycott have proven that the Kashmir dispute is not any communal issue. This is the issue of future of 13 million people including the minorities of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhists and Christen brothers.

“India has forcibly occupied this region with its military might and she is back-tracking its promises including the promises of plebiscites to be held in Jammu and Kashmir, which she has made in at national as well international forums.”

Geelani further said that the minorities of Jammu and Kashmir are our brothers and they are like our body parts and we will never leave them alone at any situation and in anyway. While terming the expressions of the Pandith brothers residing in Islamabad (Anantnag), as a token of pleasure for him, the pro-freedom leader said that ‘I would have visited them many times, if I were not continuously detained from 2010 at my home’.

Geelani said that if any non-Muslim brother is facing any difficulty or issue in which we can help them, they are most welcome here any time without any restriction. We will get great pleasure in helping them because it is our religious, national and moral responsibility and duty to help them in every situation and at any stage. Geelani expressed his hope that our non-Muslim brothers will also boycott the next phase of election drama and will stand in support of their Muslim brothers by staying away from the polls. (KNS)

Busy in other states, Azad not campaigning in Srinagar, Baramulla

I, personally expected ZPDP to withdraw its candidate against Azad: Soz

Srinagar: Disclosing it for the first time that it was Peoples Democratic Party’s policies which compelled its senior leadership to go for vigorous campaigning against Mehbooba Mufti in Anantnag, Congress today accused PDP of repeating ‘2008 mistake’ by fielding a candidate in Udhampur Lok Sabah constituency against Ghulam Nabi Azad.

“The PDP pulled out its support from Ghulam Nabi Azad government in 2008 and it has again ditched Azad sahib in Udhampur by fielding a candidate that too from Chenab valley,” a senior Congress leader and close associate of Azad told KNS pleading anonymity. “We had thought PDP would be remorseful for its 2008 mistake but not only Mehbooba Mufti fielded a candidate against Azad sahib to cut Muslim votes in Udhampur but she also visited personally to campaign against Congress,” the Congress senior leader said.

Another senior Congress leader and minister in Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s cabinet says that by fielding its candidate against Ghulam Nabi Azad, the PDP has supported BJP. “It is not me but even Azad Sahib’s has expressed it many a times without any ambiguity that PDP has helped BJP by fielding its candidate in Udhampur,” the Congress minister told KNS wishing not to be named.

When asked why he showed keen interest in coming openly against PDP candidate Mehbooba Mufti in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency this time, Ghulam Nabi Azad told KNS on phone from Lucknow: “It is not the question of my interest or no interest but I have to go by the party high command’s decision. It is the party high command which makes such decisions and everybody in the party is supposed to follow these decisions.”

Recently Azad while asking people in Anantnag to vote for Coalition candidate Dr Mehboob Beg had asked PDP to shun its diplomatic policy and come clean on its political ideology. “The present Lok Sabah election is a battle between secular forces led by Rahul Gandhi and communal elements led by Narendra Modi… PDP which is nowhere at the national political scene, has preferred not to declare its allegiance to either of the two,” Azad was quoted by media while addressing election rallies in Verinag and Kokernag areas of Anantnag Parliamentary constituency on April 21.

Asked that if he is scheduled to campaign for the coalition candidates in Srinagar and Baramulla Lok Sabha constituencies, Azad said: “I would have come there to campaign for coalition candidates in Srinagar and Baramulla but I, am busy with campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, Telengana and Himachal Pradesh.”   Pertinently, Azad has been deputed for campaigning in Telangana after he played  a pivotal role for the party as the incharge of Andhra Pradesh. Before the announcement of statehood for Telangana Azad had held a series of meetings with representatives of its three regions-Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana and submitted his recommendations on the issue before the party high command.

Prof Saif-u-Din Soz, president Pradesh Congress Committee when asked to comment on the issue told KNS: “Though the PDP had announced candidature of Mr Arshid Malik from Udhampur before the Congress made the announcement about Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad as its candidate from Udhampur, I, had personally, presumed that PDP would withdraw its candidate because fielding him would have served no purpose for the party. But unfortunately that didn’t happened.” (KNS)