Elections in J&K are ‘military operation’, says Hurriyat (G)

Srinagar, Oct 9: All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G) on Tuesday termed the election “drama” as a “military operation”, and said that to ensure the “graveyard peace”, tens of thousands “guns” have been called in “to throttle and harass the already suffocated population” of Jammu and Kashmir.
A spokesperson of APHC (G) in a statement issued said, “Had the rulers even an iota of self-esteem or a slight trace of respect for their so-called democracy, they would have not caged the leaders and political workers thereby exhibiting a one man show to achieve their goal of conducting sham elections.”
He condemned the arrest spree and placing resistance leaders under house arrest and called it as an extreme vandalism and coercion which depicts a martial law like situation.
APHC (G) said that its chairman Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Ashraf Sehraie remain under house arrest while as Muhammad Yasin Malik is detained in sub-jail Kothi Bagh and Gh Ahmad Gulzar and Hakim Ab Rashid at Kot Bhalwal, Bilal Ahmad Sidiqui, Nisar Hussain Rather, Mohammad Yousuf Naqash, Mohammad Ashraf Laya, Mir Hafizullah, Raies Ahmad Mir, Ashiq Hussain Narchoor, Sartaj Ahmad and Danish Ahmad and hundreds of other activists are either lodged in jail or in police stations.
“Suppressing even the pro-freedom voice and curbing their peaceful activities is no bravery but shameful and cunning cowardice, which Indian rulers have exposed themselves to,” he said.
Reiterating its appeal for boycott, APHC (G) said that participation in elections amounts to “treason and betrayal with martyrs’ blood and disgrace for sacrifices rendered by our nation”.
The amalgam reaffirmed its commitment to continue with peaceful means to achieve the goal of freedom, the spokesperson said adding, “We believe any election process India tries to conduct is nothing but an armed drill to threaten the common people thereby strengthening its illegal control in the occupied land”.