Srinagar: The incarcerated leadership of the Hurriyat Conference in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir has vehemently criticized the impending elections in the region, labeling them a mere “facade” orchestrated to sustain New Delhi’s control. The leaders, currently detained in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail, argue that the elections are not genuine democratic exercises but rather a military operation designed to cement Indian authority over the disputed territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman Masarrat Aalam Butt and Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabbir Ahmad Shah have conveyed their sentiments from confinement. They claim that the electoral process in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is overshadowed by the presence of over a million Indian troops, rendering it a farce and a military exercise rather than a fair electoral competition.
“The post-2019 changes in IIOJK aim to reshape the territory’s electoral and demographic landscape, stripping IIOJK of genuine political representation,” Masarrat Aalam Butt stated. He criticized recent electoral reforms, including expanded powers for the Lieutenant Governor and new voting rights for non-residents, as moves that disenfranchise the local populace and diminish the legitimacy of any elected government in the region.
Further grievances were aired regarding the 2020 gerrymandering efforts, which the Hurriyat leaders say were intended to weaken Muslim political influence and marginalize Muslim voices within IIOJK. Shabbir Ahmad Shah highlighted the detrimental impact of new domicile laws and electoral adjustments on the demographic structure of the area, reflecting, in his view, the Modi government’s strategy to transform the identity of the territory.
Shah emphasized, “Polls in IIOJK cannot replace true self-determination for Kashmiris. The Modi government’s electoral maneuvers in IIOJK are designed to legitimize the occupation, but they will not succeed.”
The statements from the Hurriyat leaders underscore a profound distrust in the electoral process under the current conditions and reinforce their stance that any elections held under occupation are primarily a facade to mask the state-led oppression and validate the contentious 2019 abrogation of the region’s special status.