Elections in Kashmir – III The APHC and Kashmir Elections
25 Jun, 2002 · 771
M Mayilvaganan discusses APHC’s stand on the forthcoming Assembly polls in Kashmir
The All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) ever since its formation in 1993, has boycotted all the elections held in the state, despite calling itself as the “sole and genuine representative” of the people in the state.
Jammu and Kashmir
state Legislative Assembly expected by the end of this year, successful conducting of elections depends on the participation of the Hurriyat. While many believed that there would be a divide amongst the APHC and a section would participate in the elections, this chance seems to have been lost with the assassination of Abdul Ghani Lone.
Kashmir
to accede to
Pakistan
. Inside the APHC a sizeable percentage supports Geelani’s views. Some of the former militant leaders who are now associated with the APHC also support Geelani. Moderate leaders such as Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat and Mirwaiz Omar lead the second group. This group is willing to participate in elections, but with certain conditions. The two major conditions are –
India
should agree that
Kashmir
is a disputed territory and the elections should be held not by the government of
India
, but under the auspices of the UN. Abdul Ghani Lone, who was assassinated recently, led the third group. It is believed that this group was having a dialogue with the Union government and was willing to participate in the elections, if they would be held in a free and fair manner.
Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
.” The Hurriyat considered elections as a “game plan, which is aimed at dividing the people of
Kashmir
with an ulterior motive to break us.”
Pakistan
for its ideological and political survival and it would be difficult to take any decision against the wishes of its mentor across the border.
Pakistan
will endeavour to never let
India
conduct any elections inside
Kashmir
in which there is participation.
Kashmir
.
With elections for the
The APHC, an amalgam of more than 20 parties and groups, has never been uniform in its reasoning for not participating in elections. Three groups could be identified within the APHC on the issue of participating in elections. Syed Ali Geelani, who was recently arrested by the Indian government, leads the first group. He is totally against any elections and wants
APHC and the previous elections in
The APHC boycotted the 1996 elections to the State Legislative Assembly. The reason, as explained by Prof. Abdul Ghani Bhat in April 1996, was that the Hurriyat “considers election process as a gamble, which will most probably shed the blood of the people of
The Hurriyat also called for a total strike during the parliamentary election in May 1996 and even launched a door-to-door campaign. The Hurriyat also boycotted the 1998 parliamentary elections due to the same reasons.
APHC and 2002 Elections
The participation of the APHC in the forthcoming elections is doubtful, especially after the assassination of the Abdul Ghani Lone. The first and foremost reason is that the APHC depends on
The militant groups led by the Jihad Council are also against the elections. None of the present leaders of the APHC have the courage to contest elections against the wishes of the militants, especially after the assassination of Lone.
The fear of losing or not forming the next government would be another reason for the APHC to keep away from the elections. Despite the APHC’s self-professed statement of being the genuine representative of the Kashmiris, this statement has never been tested. The APHC is well aware of this fact and would think twice before participating in elections, as any adverse vote would tarnish its credibility inside
Some of the leaders of the APHC, based on their past experiences, genuinely believe that elections held by the Indian government would not be free and fair. Hence it would be better to keep away from them. This section also believes in elections being conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.
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