Elections in Kashmir next October, Hurriyat Participation Almost Certain
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India's chief election commissioner James Lyngdoh with Home Minister Advani. |
By
IOL South Asia Correspondent
NEW
DELHI, August 2 (IslamOnline) - India’s Chief Election Commissioner
James Lyngdoh announced Friday, August 2, that the elections in the
state of Jammu & Kashmir would be held in four phases from
September 16 to October 12. A total of 8000 electronic voting machines
will de used in 7000 polling booths to complete the process.
Under
sustained U.S. pressure, the skeptical All Parties Hurriyat Conference
(APHC), an umbrella body of several secessionist Kashmiri
organizations seems to have agreed to contest the state assembly
elections.
So
far, the APHC has stayed away from all talks of election as
participating in it would mean de facto acceptance of India’s
Constitution. The organizations comprising APHC are either
pro-Pakistan (demanding separation from India and merger into
Pakistan) or pro-Independence (asking for secession from India and
existence as a nation independent of both India and Pakistan).
For
the entire political spectrum represented in APHC, acceptance of the
Indian Constitution has been taboo. In return, they have not so far
been allowed by India to participate in any parleys between India and
Pakistan.
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Elections in Kashmir in
1996. |
However,
American diplomatic efforts have been able to convince APHC leaders to
participate in coming polls as it would facilitate their involvement
in future talks between India, Pakistan and Kashmiri representatives.
This
seems to be the interpretation of U.S. Secretary of State Collin
Powell’s remarks earlier this week in New Delhi that the election
would not be an end in itself, but a step towards the final solution
of the Kashmir issue.
According
to this interpretation, it would be only natural for members of APHC
elected to state assembly to be a party to talks between India and
Pakistan.
In
the Kashmir Valley, all parties are not secessionist. The party ruling
J&K presently, National Conference, accepts the state’s
accession to India. It only wants greater autonomy, rather to go back
to the pre-1953 position. Another large party with a base in the
region, Congress Party too, is not secessionist.
Parties
with their support base in other parts of Jammu and Kashmir (i.e.,
Jammu division and Ladakh division), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and
Panthers Party are strongly federalist, and at the opposite end of
APHC in the political spectrum.
Meanwhile
in the national parliament, the Opposition has attacked the ruling
coalition for what they say is the Center’s submissiveness to the
U.S. Secretary of State.
The
opposition has taken umbrage to Powell’s remarks that Kashmir is an
international issue. So far, India has fiercely stuck to the position
that Kashmir is an “integral part of India,” and no outsider
should be allowed to mediate between India and Pakistan on the issue.
Taking
a defensive position, Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani explained
Thursday, August 1, that Powell’s remark about Kashmir being an
international issue was not relating to its sovereignty. The
international issue, according to Advani, was terrorism in the Valley.
Needless to say, it did not cut much ice with irate Opposition members
of parliament.
Advani
has ruled out international observers for the Kashmir elections but
has assured that the elections will be free and fair. Kashmiris allege
that all elections held in their state have been rigged. Secretary
Powell has advocated international observers for Kashmir elections.
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