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| The Kashmir impasse | | | The Kashmir dispute has always been a major poll issue for political parties which have been using it as a trump card for consolidating their position elections after elections. The Kashmir problem has grown like a cancer in the past six decades and has been the focal point of an acute regional dispute that has pitted India and Pakistan against one another. Despite three wars between the two bitter rivals and the excessive militarization of the state, there seems to be no agreeable solution to the highly vexed issue in the near future.
However, just a few days ahead of the Assembly elections in J&K, a statement made by the Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama calling upon the US to facilitate Kashmir resolution, further brought the Kashmir issue to the limelight. He however backtracked saying it was a bilateral issue.
After Obama, it was UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who ruled out any intervention in Kashmir unless both India and Pakistan approached the world body. He also called upon the two sides to continue dialogue to find an amicable solution.
The statement made by the two leaders is indeed an acknowledgement of New Delhi’s known stand on the Kashmir issue. It also endorses India’s view point that there is no need for an international mediation to resolve the Kashmir imbroglio. However, it is less likely to make any impact on the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Conclusion
Although, the political mood is catching up with the voters and the election campaigning has started in full swing, a low voter turn out this year can not be ruled out. The poll boycott announced by the separatist leaders is most likely to affect the voter turnout this year. In the 2002 assembly elections a commendable 44% voter turn out was recorded, which even validated the electoral exercise and the government that was formed after the polls.
Moreover, other factors like unfavourable weather in the coming weeks is also likely to complicate things for the state.
However, the Centre’s failure to conduct a free and fair elections in J&K will only add up to the divisive politics of the state by strengthening the separatist forces. The absence of an elected government in Jammu & Kashmir will not only corrode the roots of democracy but also alienate the people from the mainstream. At this juncture, the elections in J&K assume unusual significance since Muslims in the Valley are almost wholly alienated from both New Delhi and Srinagar. For the nation, a relatively peaceful electoral process will confer legitimacy for its democratic and secular polity. |
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