Panchayat polls: Joint Hurriyat calls for shutdown on Nov 17

Srinagar, Nov 14: Joint Hurriyat has called for a complete shutdown across Kashmir on November 17 against the panchayat polls.
Joint Hurriyat comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik urged people to observe shutdown against “yet another election drama” being enacted by the “oppressive regime” of New Delhi.
They urged the people to reject and boycott the Panchayat polls “in the same way they rejected the Urban Local Bodies polls by staying indoors.”
In a statement issued here, the Joint Hurriyat also said that strike should also be observed in the poll bound areas on November 29, 24, 27 and 29 and also on December 1,4 and 8 to a give a “clear message to the world community that people have no faith in the sham elections which are held under the presence of lakhs of additional forces.”
Joint hurriyat reiterated that holding elections in Kashmir under the shadow of gun and by force is a meaningless exercise and nothing but another attempt to mislead people of India and the world.
“This exercise becomes all the more ridiculous, as their own pro-Indian regional political parties decide to stay away from this farcical exercise ,” they said.
Joint hurriyat said the recent massive rejection of ULB polls by more than 95% people of Kashmir has sent a crystal clear message to the Indian rulers of where the people of Kashmir stand and what they want but GOI arrogance of military might and forcible control over J&K makes them blind to it and they continue to thrust this sham of so called elections on people to further harass and torment people.
The Leadership said that enacting election drama in presence of lakhs of forces can befool no one . The world community knows the reality of “democracy “in Kashmir.
Leadership said that people of Kashmir know well that any sort of participation in the polls held under the Indian constitution amounts to selling out on the tremendous sacrifices of thousands and thousands of people, especially our youth. So there is no question of any participation.