SRINAGAR — Expressing gratitude to the people of Anantnag constituency for staying away from Lok Sabha elections, pro-Pakistan Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani Thursday said the low voter turnout was clear proof that the sentiment for freedom has not died down in Kashmir.
Hoping that the Srinagar and Budgam Lok Sabha constituencies will follow the trend set by Anantnag, Geelani said the people of Kashmir are filled with ‘passion and enthusiasm for resistance which indicates that India has few days left in Kashmir’.
Till last reports came in, there was a dismal 25.04 percent voter turnout in the constituency.
“The government used every possible way to make this election drama a success. The whole pro-freedom leadership was imprisoned at their homes and different police stations, hundreds of youth were detained while as people were lured by employment and other promises and cash were also distributed among the people. The army and police are using their traditional tools of oppression, fear and harassment to force the people to vote. They (Army and police) have increased their patrolling in the villages and the far-flung areas and they have also launched an unstoppable arrest spree and raids to harass the common people but their tactics have not worked,” Geelani said in a statement.
Geelani said despite the curbs and use of force, the people of Kashmir have rejected the ‘election drama’ which has sent a message that the situation in Kashmir has completely changed and people can’t be deceived anymore.
“Our educated generation has become politically enough mature and sensitive and they have got the differences between the right and the wrong. I reject the government figures of votes. The government is exaggerating the percentage of voting, while as the actual voter turnout is not more than 2 or 3 percent which also happened because of harassment and fear created by Indian forces,” he said.
Condemning the attacks on media persons, Geelani said the government was frustrated by the complete election boycott of the people and forces were taking out the frustration on the journalists who are working to show the world a real picture of the election in Kashmir.
He expressed sympathy and solidarity with the injured journalists, “The attacks on journalists are actually the attacks on the freedom of press and the democracy, which should be condemned at all forms,” he said.
Geelani thanked the people especially the youth and said he was very pleased with their ‘courage, spirit, bravery and sentiment of freedom’, “My belief has become firmer that now Indian can’t hold Kashmir under its forced occupation for long. Their military might, rigidness and arrogance of power will met a humiliating defeat by the hands of Kashmiri people,” he said.
