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| Wah! In reckoning is Shah | | ANC seeks independent election observers | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Nov 28: It was in early 1990s when had just started to understand why Kashmir is writhing with violence that Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah's estranged son-in-law GM Shah had proposed holding a tripartite conference on the issue. 15 years down the line, hundreds of times schedule and names of participants have undergone a change but the Intra-Kashmir conference has not happened.
Interestingly, as the general elections in Jammu and Kashmir draw near, Shah's party, Awami National Conference has sought from the government of India appointment of independent observers to oversee the conduct of elections. The ANC may not have even a single candidate to field anywhere in Kashmir but it has roped in the Communist Party of India to support its demand for independent observers.
An assurance to this effect was given by CPI general secretary AB Bardhan to Muzzafar Shah, senior working committee member of the ANC, at a meeting in New Delhi, reports said.
The meeting was first of a series of meetings with mainstream national parties proposed by the ANC working committee meeting held in Srinagar on November 18, 2007. The committee had decided to hold such meetings in order to build a national consensus for the need of appointing independent observers to oversee the elections as the people of Jammu and Kashmir had lost faith in the conduct of elections after 1977.
In the meeting, Shah also apprised Bardhan of the ANC's resolve to invite 400 observes from all walks of life from within and outside the country, in case the Government of India fails to do so. The list of observes proposed by ANC includes, former prime ministers, eminent parliamentarians, jurists, academics and media personalities.
Welcoming the ANC move, Bardhan assured Shah that his party would pilot this initiative from various platforms, as it would go a long way in restoring the image and credibility of the electoral process in the eyes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
On his part, Shah complimented the CPI for the policy statement made by its National Secretary Shamim Faizee in Srinagar recently that Kashmir dispute could only be solved by holding a tripartite dialogue involving the governments of India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir. uch a dialogue, the CPI felt, would pave way for the final settlement of the Kashmir dispute.
It may be recalled the demand for holding a tripartite dialogue was first made by ANC president and former chief minister GM Shah, way back in 1989.
Shah also discussed with Bardhan the concern of ANC on non-governance of the present coalition government in the state and the deterioration of situation on all fronts. Shah highlighted the brutal excesses committed by security forces recently in Pulwama, Dhamal Hanjipura and Magam where 'cold-blooded murder' of innocent civilians was committed and felt that such shameful incidents can be put to an end only in case our main stream and separatist leadership cast their political considerations aside and evolve a constructive mechanism.
Shah also brought CPI leader's attention to the abject failure of MPs and MLAs from the state and human rights activists in raising their voice collectively against such atrocities in and outside the State. He sought Mr. Bardhan and CPI support in making the long pending ANC's proposed Intra- Kashmir Conference to be held in Srinagar in May 2008, a success. |
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