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| Kashmiri secessionists divided over modus operandi to effect poll boycott | | | Early Times Special Correspondent
Jammu | Mar 30
News Analysis
The Kashmiri secessionists this time are sharply divided over effecting poll boycott of J&K assembly elections. In the past the militants used violent means to intimidate and over awe the electorates to prevent them from exercising their franchise. Much ahead of elections terrorist strikes were intensified and exploding of bombs and blasts and others subversive activities would be on rise, besides the militant outfits issuing threats of dire consequences for those who came out to cast their ballot. This time the main local terrorists group Hizbul Muzaheddin had announced that it will not use any force to enforce poll boycott by the people in Kashmir. The Chief of the outfit and Chairman of United Jehad Council of militants, who is headquartered in PoK, had stated that they would not resort to violent means to effect poll boycott, although they will issue the boycott call and appeal to the conscience of the Kashmiris to refrain from casting votes, since the government of India and even the ruling dispensation in J&K term good polling in the elections as people's faith in the status quo and Kashmiris being reconciled with being part of India.
Taking que from the same the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference, led by Maulvi Umer Farooq had also made known that they will only issue an appeal for the election boycott, but will not take any campaign for the implementation of the same. But now realizing that the only passive boycott call will not serve the desired purpose of polling being very poor in the forthcoming elections, the secessionists are having a second thought over their modus operandi to effect the poll boycott.
In view of qualitatively change in the security scenario in the valley as well as upper hilly reaches in Jammu region, with the security forces having their upper hand and the militants at the receiving end, the mainstream parties have started mobilizing the voters much ahead of the election schedule for exercising their franchise. There has been going on hectic electioneering even in the remote areas of Kashmir valley, including those parts where militancy was at high peak once, it is estimated that the poll percentage in the 2008 assembly elections will be much higher than in the previous elections.
Getting unnerved over these prospects, the hardcore secessionist and Islamic fundamentalist leader, Ali Shah Geelani has upped his ante to implement the poll boycott and make the same effective to the maximum extent. He is going all out of the way to galvanise the support for electoral boycott and has given call for door to door campaign for the same, to bring home to the people the negative fall out of brisk polling or participation of more people in the same. But Geelani is not getting the desired response from other separatist outfits. Even the Jamait-e-Islami, the ideological fountainhead for separatists and the mother organization of Geelani, with whom he fell out lately, has turned down the demand that they should launch a door to door campaign to impress upon the people not to cast their votes. Geelani has been at pains to convince other separatist outfits and the people that the electoral participation of Kashmiris would give legitimacy to Indian occupation of Kashmir. Presently he has got some positive response only from the Kashmir Bar Association, with whose members he held a seminar recently in Kashmir. Even the KBA members who spoke in the seminar said that electoral participation of people will not cause reflection on the cause of the separatists. The JKLF Chairman Yaseen Mallik, who too was present in the seminar and was asked by Geelani to exercise his influence and effectiveness in ensuring maximum poll boycott is also reported to had given a lukewarm response to the farmer.
In all probability the poll boycott call is not going to be very effective this time. Even the new ruling dispensation in Pakistan, from whom the pro Pakistani elements among the secessionists in Kashmir derived inspiration, have expressed themselves in favour of holding free and fair elections to the J&K assembly, as a means to the solution of the Kashmir issue. |
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