Near total boycott a clear message: Joint Hurriyat

Srinagar, Oct 16: On the culmination of the last phase of ULB polls, Joint Hurriyat Leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik said that by Government of India’s own admission, 95% people’s rejection of these elections, “forced upon them” by the authorities is a clear indication “that the alienation of people of Kashmir from India is complete.”
In a statement, Joint Hurriyat said that “the leadership deeply appreciates and commends people for the political maturity and commitment to the cause of self-determination shown by them in a comprehensive boycott of this election. People of Kashmir have sent a clear message to the Indian state.”
“If Government of India always projected to people in India and the outside world , a good percentage of participation of Kashmiri people in its elections as an endorsement of India’s rule, by the same yardstick GOI should now accept people’s near total boycott of them as a referendum against it,” the Joint Hurriyat said.
The leaderships said that “this coercive and harassing exercise of elections, where candidates, polling areas and even polling stations were undisclosed by the ruling authorities, where scores of secret candidates were chosen unopposed was mainly carried out at this time, to help the BJP in its electoral prospects in India next year and to thrust the party on people of the Kashmir.”
The leadership trio reiterated that J&K is a dispute and its people are asking for resolution of the dispute. “They are not interested in selection or election and no election can ever be a substitute for that resolution or a way to it. GOI should accept this fact and work towards the resolution of the conflict as per the democratic principle of people’s aspirations and will,” they said.