| Separatists, half-separatists in Kashmir have no say in Jammu, Ladakh | | Civic Polls | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Oct 6: Separatists like Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik and the so-called mainstream Kashmiri leaders like Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah, both former CMs and former Union Ministers, and Mehbooba Mufti, again a former CM, have no say whatsoever in Jammu and Ladakh. This became clear from the enthusiasm with which people of Jammu and Ladakh, including Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Sikhs, are participating in the ongoing electoral exercise undertaken to elect new municipal corporation, municipal councils and municipalities. This can also be gauged from the fact that many in Jammu are quitting the NC and the PDP terming these parties as anti-democratic and accusing them of extending their separatist agenda to the peaceful Jammu province.
That the people of Jammu and Ladakh have boycotted the poll boycott decision of the NC and the PDP could be seen from the fact that as many as 2,136 candidates - Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs -- have filed nomination papers for all the 534 wards in Jammu province and 66 candidates - Buddhists and Shia Muslims - have filed nomination papers for all the 26 wards in Ladakh, 13 each in Buddhist-majority Leh and Shia-majority Kargil. There were only 13 wards in Jammu province where the candidates have won the election unopposed. As for the remaining 521 wards, 2,123 candidates are testing political waters across Jammu province. As for Ladakh, not a single candidate has been elected unopposed. In other words, all the 26 wards are witnessing keen contests.
What about Kashmir? There are 624 wards across Kashmir. Not one candidate filed nomination papers in as many as 177 wards. In 215 wards, the candidates won the election unopposed. These also included at least 36 internally-displaced Kashmiri Hindus living in Jammu since January 1990, when the whole Hindu community migrated from Kashmir to escape the wrath of separatists and militants. It is only in the remaining 232 wards that nearly 900 candidates are in the fray.
All this should establish that separatists and half-separatists in Kashmir have no relevance in Jammu and Ladakh. |
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