Srinagar, Oct 3:The Joint Hurriyat leaders have asked people to observe complete shutdown across Jammu and Kashmir on October 8 to protest the commencement of ULB and Panchayat election “drama”.
The leaders, Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, have asked people to observe shutdown in their respective areas as per the poll schedule on October 10, 13 and 16 to show complete disassociation and resentment against elections.
Geelani and Mirwaiz in a statement issued also strongly condemned the “arbitrary” arrest of JKLF chairman Yasin Malik and dozens of Hurriyat activists and youth and raids on their homes.
They said those in power should now realise that incarcerations, intimidation and fear is neither a deterrent for leadership nor for people in pursuing their struggle for self-determination.
Commenting on elections, the Joint Hurriyat leaders said, “As additional forces are being brought in to J&K for the conduct of this election drama, it is clear that this farce is another attempt at coercion and rulers want to shove it down people’s throats by force, with the backing of lakhs of military forces stationed here and through sections of police force.”
“This electoral drama is another form of subjugation. It conveys that even if entire people of Kashmir are against it and even if pro-India regional parties boycott it, GoI is the command and control in Kashmir and has the power and force to conduct them without caring about its credibility or effectiveness ,” the leaders said, adding, “What bigger mockery and irony can there be than the fact that in this so-called democratic exercise, even the identity of candidates who are supposed to represent public will not be known to the people whom they will represent.”
Joint Hurriyat said that as part of Doval Doctrine followed by GoI, forcing this exercise on people is one more way of making them pay the price and to break their resolve for standing up against the state for their fundamental right.
“As per Doval, people cannot sustain resistance beyond a point, so keep the pressure on them by hurling one assault after another, till they break down. So right after the Article 35-A assault, this bogey was raised,” they said.
Geelani and Mirwaiz said GoI can befool the people of India, but people of Kashmir and the world know enough of this by now.
“Kashmiris know that any kind of participation in these machinations by GoI is betrayal with their supreme struggle for self-determination nurtured by the blood and valour of its people in the face of a mighty adversary and acute repression. A struggle that sooner than later will succeed,” they said.
“The slogan of people is loud and clear ‘No to the election, only right of self-determination’,” the Joint Hurriyat said.
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