Sham elections in IIOJK cannot be substitute of Right to Self-Determination: Sardar Ateeq
Islamabad: Former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and President of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (MC), Sardar Ateeq Ahmad Khan, while criticizing the fake polls, has maintained that the counterfeit elections in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) will not substitute the inalienable right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people, nor will they replace the plebiscite promised on the UN platform by Indian leadership.
In an exclusive interview with Kashmir Media Service, regarding sham-polls being held in IIOJK, Sardar Ateeq Ahmad Khan revealed that fair elections are not possible in IIOJK in the presence of more than one million occupying Indian soldiers. There is no credibility in the mock elections conducted while imprisoning the entire Hurriyat leadership, he added.
The MC chief stated that Kashmiris have been guaranteed the right to self-determination in the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and its Security Council. Holding sham polls under heavily armed military personnel is a violation of UN resolutions and international norms. The Indian government has never fulfilled the promises made to the Kashmiri people, both globally and locally, Ateeq Khan maintained.
The former AJK Premier went on to say that the Modi government is creating an election pretense in IIOJK to justify its illegal actions of August 5, 2019, as well as to mislead international public opinion. Another purpose of this election drama is to elect a Hindu Chief Minister in a Muslim-majority IIOJK.
Sardar Ateeq noted that the BJP could not achieve any significant success in the fake elections due to the intense anger and resentment among the Kashmiri people. He mentioned that the constituencies in IIOJK were redrawn to benefit the BJP in the elections.
After the abrogation of Article 370, more than 3.2 million non-Kashmiri Hindus were issued domiciles in Kashmir and granted the right to vote, aiming to change the Muslim-majority identity of IIOJK, Sardar Ateeq Khan said. He added that prior to the elections, there has been a disproportionate increase in the seats of the Kashmir Assembly to meet the nefarious designs of the fascist Modi government. Under this shameful act, six new seats were added in Jammu, while only one seat was added in the Kashmir Valley.
Sardar Ateeq stated that the purpose of all illegal measures is to benefit the BJP in the election. By amending the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act of 2019, the Modi government has significantly increased the powers of the Lieutenant Governor, transferring the powers of the state assembly to him. Consequently, the role of the Chief Minister elected after the elections will be negligible.
The authority to make decisions on important issues will remain with the Indian government, as the Lieutenant Governor is the center’s representative in IIOJK, he said. He expressed regret that one Indian soldier is deployed for every ten people in occupied Kashmir, which is unprecedented globally. Sardar Ateeq highlighted that in the current election environment, Hurriyat leaders are being forced to change their political stance, and Kashmiris are being compelled to vote at gunpoint, which will undoubtedly affect the election results. However, he sees no hope for any major breakthrough. He also noted that the Congress party has never threatened the state identity of IIOJK.
Sardar Ateeq remarked that the BJP is denying the rights of minorities, including Muslims, Christians, and even Dalits, throughout India, with the sole agenda of imposing extremist Hindu ideology across the country.
The MC leader called upon Pakistan to collaborate with China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other friendly countries to resolve the Kashmir conflict according to the resolutions of the United Nations.
