SRINAGAR: Amidst widespread condemnation and anger, the first phase of India’s sham polls in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) began today, with neutral experts and locals and human right activists condemning the process as a “farce” and nothing more than a “military drill”.
According to media reports, with over a million Indian forces watching over the elections, the electoral process has been rigged to favor pro-India political parties through manipulative reforms and gerrymandering, diluting representation of the Muslims in Occupied Kashmir.
Fake elections in IIOJK
Analysts and experts have strongly denounced New Delhi’s attempts to legitimize its occupation of IIOJK through these staged and fake elections. The people of Kashmiris are demanding a UN-sanctioned plebiscite, not manipulated elections, locals people said. The granting of voting rights to outsiders has further eroded political status of Kashmir, sparking concerns regarding the region’s future, experts said.
Kashmiri leaders have completely boycotted the polls, calling them a “ploy” to legitimize India’s occupation. “These polls are a sham, aimed at diverting attention from our struggle for self-determination,” they Kashmiri leaders said.
Experts warn that the elections will further polarize the occupied Kashmir, exacerbating tensions between Kashmiris and New Delhi. “These polls are a recipe for disaster, undermining the very fabric of Kashmir’s identity,” said a political expert.
The Modi government’s electoral tactics aim to legitimize the 2019 unlawful abrogation, an expert said. Human right activists said that it’s time for the international community to acknowledge the reality of India’s occupation and support the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.
