Alleged punitive killings of civilians are likely to keep state polls away
The gunbattle started at 8 am and lasted only 15 minutes, say the villagers of Kharpora, in J&K바카라s Pulwama district, recalling the morning of December 14 that saw three militants and seven civilians dead. The army too lost a soldier. 바카라The army took my two sons and two of my neighbours along with them, and used them as human shields during the encounter there,바카라 says retired teacher Abdul Khaliq Najar, pointing towards the paddy fields adjacent to the village.
It was after the gunbattle was over that the forces fired at protesters, claim villagers, pointing out the spots where the seven civilians were killed. They dismiss as a lie the accusation that a large stone-pelting mob attacked the forces, who then fired in retaliation. 바카라Even if a few boys threw stones at the army, they could have fired at their legs. But they fired to kill,바카라 says Najar. The villagers instead accuse the forces of 바카라punishing바카라 civilians in south Kashmir for the low turnouts in the recent panchayat and urban civic body elections. 바카라Not voting is the expression of a political opinion. But we pay with blood for making such a choice,바카라 says a young villager.
In October, only 660 of the total 40,004 voters in 20 municipalities across the four south Kashmir districts of Shopian, Kulgam, Anantnag and Pulwama had cast their votes during the urban local body elections. It was the lowest turnout ever바카라1.6 per cent. The region also witnessed a low turnout during the panchayat elections that concluded on December 11. There was no polling in Shopian and Pulwama. And since April 2016, when Mehbooba Mufti resigned as then Anantnag MP on being sworn in as CM, south Kashmir has had no representative in the Lok Sabha. The Election Commission postponed the Anantnag bypolls in 2017 after the state government said the situation was not conducive.
Describing the December 14 killings at Pulwama as a 바카라massacre바카라, mainstream political parties in the Valley say this would worsen an already bad situation바카라Kashmir has seen the highest number of killings this year since 2008. The slain include 253 militants, 84 civilians and 97 government forces personnel. Suspecting that the Pulwama killings would give the central government an excuse to further delay the assembly elections, the parties are demanding that the polls be held soon.
Former CM and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah says Governor Satya Pal Malik바카라s administration must focus on the security of the people of J&K. 바카라Sadly, it seems that바카라s the only thing the administration is not doing,바카라 he adds. Agrees Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, who says, 바카라South Kashmir has been reeling under fear for the past six months. Is this what was expected from governor바카라s rule?바카라
On the very day of the Pulwama killings, governor바카라s administration approved the state budget of Rs 88,911 crore for 2019-20. The parties see this as a signal that the Centre is keen on prolonging governor바카라s rule.
바카라There are Supreme Court guidelines that elections should be held within six months of governor바카라s rule, but Governor Malik has instead recommended President바카라s rule for another six months,바카라 says a senior PDP leader. 바카라That means there would be no assembly elections.바카라 President바카라s rule will begin after governor바카라s rule completes six months on December 20.
Ever since the fall of the PDP-BJP government this June and the dissolution of the assembly in November, the National Conference has been repeatedly asking for assembly elections to be held. 바카라If the governor takes credit for holding peaceful panchayat and urban civic body elections, why is his administration showing no commitment towards organising the assembly polls?바카라 asks a party leader.
The National Conference, which ran a coalition government with the Congress from 2008 to 2014, is buoyed by the recent Congress sweep in the Hindi heartland, and expects the BJP won바카라t have a smooth run in 2019, unlike 2014, when it won 25 of the 37 assembly seats in Jammu region.
Early this week, responding to BJP national president Amit Shah바카라s claim that the people of J&K people have full faith in the BJP and that it would get a majority in assembly, Omar dared the party to hold elections. 바카라If the BJP is so confident of the support, why is it not announcing elections and putting its assertion to the test?바카라 he asked.
The government is not ready to take the bait. And the Pulwama killings have put the elections on the backburner for now.
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By Naseer Ganai in Pulwama