In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Additional General Secretary of National Conference, Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, has said that the recent announcement by Chief Election Officer on giving voting rights to non-locals has made mockery of participatory democracy in the territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, reacting sharply to the announcement that non-locals will be allowed to vote in the territory, Kamal in a statement said, “The move should not be seen in isolation, rather a part of the well-orchestrated plan to disenfranchise the people of the territory. It started with gerrymandering of legislative Assembly seats, which were carved out according to the wish list of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.”
He further said the all party meeting convened by National Conference President, Farooq Abdullah, is a step in the right direction. “I hope all the political parties will positively respond to the call and attend the meeting to discuss the implications of the move and devise a common united strategy,” he said.—KMS
