India’s chief election commissioner T.N. Seshan has said that efforts are being made to hold election to the Kashmir Assembly before July 18, 1995, when the maximum tenure of President’s rule comes to an end. Seshan is no ordinary poll official. He is a fundamentalist Brahman, a link between the Congress(1) and the BJP, the two main Brahman parties of India. His statement on Kashmir, therefore, deserves to be taken seriously. Even otherwise, straws in the wind indicate that India is currently planning certain political moves on Kashmir with an eye on international propaganda in its favor. K.P.S. Gill, a rented Sikh, who is better known as the killer of Punjab, has stated at a meeting of police chiefs of the states on the Indo-Pak border that Kashmir would go the Punjab way. On the other hand, the pro-India national conference chief Farooq Abdullah has started visiting Kashmir. He is going at least upto Jammu. At one of his meetings, Abdullah expressed the hope that the Indian government would go for elections in Kashmir soon. He referred to the likelihood of poll boycott by certain groups and said that if there was boycott in certain pockets, there would be massive polling in other areas “Restoration of popular government in Kashmir was the only solution of the problems faced by the people, he said. Abdullah is to Kashmir what Akalis are to Punjab. Not long ago, he had asked India to grant autonomy to Kashmir. Otherwise, he had almost threatened a boycott of the poll until the Indian home minister asked him to behave or else face the prospect of being dumped in the wilderness like Akalis, Abdullah staged an about face and forgot about the autonomy demand.
In this context, the strategy the Kashmir militants would adopt is still not clear. A senior Kashmir leader Shabir Shah said that he would participate in the election if it is held under the aegis of U.N. but not otherwise. The All Party Hurriat Conference (APHC) has yet to clarify its stand. Other militant groups, too, have still not made known their positions regarding the Indian plan.
The question is: Why is India keen on holding elections to the Kashmir Assembly? Does that indicate India’s faith in democracy and restoration of peace and normalcy? The Indian Brahman’s faith in democracy is a mere facade. They know for certain that the people of Kashmir are dead set against India. They are in favor of freedom. They have been fighting for it for the past 48 years. Now for the past few years, they have taken up arms. India let loose a rule of repression. That failed to crush the movement. Instead, the Kashmir issue has been internationalized as never before. There is now widespread sympathy for the people of Kashmir. No international event passes off without a reference to the Kashmir problem. As a result, India’s isolation is complete. It has come under international pressure. That explains India’s consent to leaders of APHC being allowed to join the recent Islamic countries conclave. Also, leaders of Kashmir were allowed to participate in the Pakistan national day celebrations organized at Delhi by the Pakistan Ambassador last week..
By planning an election and permitting freedom of movement to Kashmir leaders (who are out of jails), India is truly on an international public relations exercise. In reality, the Brahman government’s aim is to mislead the world public opinion. India would hold an election in Kashmir only if it is assured that pro-freedom militant groups would boycott the election. Otherwise, it would think twice before conducting an election there.
The people of Kashmir, should become aware of the Indian government’s manoeuvres. They should learn a lesson from Punjab as well. The Sikhs proved by boycotting the 1992 State Assembly election that they are not in favor of India. But the Sikhs could get no big political mileage out of the success of the poll boycott. Internationally, the public opinion views any poll boycott, howsoever justified, as synonymous with lack of faith in democracy. It becomes easier for India to dub those boycotting the election as militants and not democrats. The public opinion makes no distinction whether an election is held under India’s constitution or some other statute. They only recognize those who win. Even a Beant Singh with a hopeless minority manages to get international recognition when foreign diplomats go to Chandigarh to meet him.
At any rate, Kashmiris would do well to keep in mind the Punjab experience before taking a decision on poll boycott. We are confident India would hold no election in Kashmir once it becomes known that the people of Kashmir would join the fray.
In that event, too, the people of Kashmir would stand vindicated. They would be able to show the tyrannical nature of India. It is hoped that the people of Kashmir would not take a decision in haste on boycotting the election if and when it is held.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 31, 1995
