Municipal, Panchayat Polls A Fake Exercise: Soz

SRINAGAR — Former union minister and senior Congress leader, Prof Saif-ud-din Soz, on Wednesday said that Kashmir has “virtually rejected the electoral process” and stating that both the Mu­nicipal and Panchayat elections were “ a fake” exercise.

“ As far as Municipal and Pan­chayat polls are concerned it is so tragic that a fake Municipal elections was followed by a fake Panchayat polls in Kashmir,” he said, in a statement.

“What the Kashmiris know is different from what the Govern­ment of India wants us to believe. Kashmir has virtually rejected the electoral process as far as Munici­pal elections and Panchayat elec­tions were concerned,” he said.

Share his experience of ecent Panchayat elections, he said, “ travelled to Humhama, Sheikh­pora, Ompora and other villages in Budgam in my neighbour­hood and the election process was nowhere visible. Now, the Sarkar will put up Sarpanchs and Panchs to operate in the system.”

He said that some people may declare themselves to be “Sar­panchs and Panchs and it may serve some purpose for Gov­ernor’s Administration, but no fake system can gain legitimacy to operate purposefully. That is what the reality is.”

“Unfortunately, Govt of In­dia does not appreciate that the stage managed ‘short-cuts’ will never yield stability in the system. The easy and workable proposition is to open an uncon­ditional dialogue with the people of Kashmir,” he said.

“It would also be a workable proposition for Govt. of India to open the dialogue initially with the Hurriyat Conference, par­ticularly with its frontal organi­zation, the JRL,” Soz said, adding that “many a knowledgeable members of India’s Civil Soci­ety are aghast as to why Govt. of India is not doing in Kashmir what is workable and purpose­ful for it.”

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