Citizen’s Body to Broaden Kashmir Poll Participation
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Kashmir committee chairman and former law minister Ram Jethmalani
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By
Md. Zeyaul Haque, Special to IslamOnline
NEW
DELHI, August 5 (IslamOnline) - Concerned citizens in the national
capital have organized a committee to ensure the broadest
participation in coming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.
The
Kashmir Committee, headed by former central law minister Ram
Jethmalani, includes prominent citizens like Dilip Padgaonkar of the
Indian daily newspaper, the Times of India, lawyer Ashok Bhan,
freelance journalist Jawaid Laiq, and retired diplomat VK Grover.
Jethmalani,
at a committee meeting here Sunday, August 4, criticized the
government for complicating the Kashmir issue by announcing election
dates in a hurry.
The
committee wants to ensure the participation of the All Party Hurriyat
Conference (APHC), a conglomerate of 23 separatist organizations.
Under Western pressure the APHC has agreed to participate in a
dialogue if the Center formally asks them.
The
committee feels that without APHC participation, the elections would
not carry much conviction. The APHC representative in Delhi, Abdul
Majid Bandey, told the committee that at such a short notice (polls
are due in the next two months), it may not be possible for the
Hurriyat to arrange its logistics.
Jethmalani
said that even at this late hour, it was not impossible to ensure the
participation of as many groups as possible, if the Central government
so desired. For that the Center would have to tell everyone that the
elections would be fair, free and transparent.
The
committee also appealed to the APHC to explore all the possibilities
regarding their participation. So far APHC has been wary of
participation in elections as it implied a tacit recognition of
India’ s Constitution. As a conglomerate of separatist
organizations, APHC had decided to stay away from elections.
They
have been convinced by the British and Americans that their
participation in the elections would facilitate the solution of the
Kashmir problem. So far India has refused to allow APHC to participate
in talks between India and Pakistan as representatives of Kashmiris.
As members of state legislature, APHC people would be allowed to
represent Kashmiris in future parleys.
This
line of argument has brought a section of the APHC round to accepting
elections. However, even those sections of APHC which are thinking of
participating in the elections feel that there is not enough time to
mobilize support for the election-wary APHC.
On
the other hand, parties like the ruling National Conference and
Congress are more experienced in electioneering. Parties like BJP and
Panthers Party are marginal in the Valley of Kashmir, but are
influential in Jammu and Ladakh divisions of the state.
At
present, an official interlocutor, former law minister Arun Jaitley is
holding dialogue with Kashmiri organizations on devolution of powers
while National Conference, the party ruling Jammu & Kashmir at
present is demanding 'autonomy' for the state.
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