"Polls No Substitute To Right To Self-determination"

Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik,in Indian occupied Kashmir, has said that the so-called elections held by India in the territory cannot be a substitute to the Kashmiris' right to self-determination.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Sep, 2018 ) :Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik,in Indian occupied Kashmir, has said that the so-called elections held by India in the territory cannot be a substitute to the Kashmiris' right to self-determination.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the resistance leaders in a statement issued in Srinagar termed the election drama enacted by India as a political gimmick to hoodwink the international community that the people of Kashmir enjoyed the Indian democracy freely.

They reiterated their appeal to the Kashmiri people to completely boycott the upcoming municipal and local bodies elections in the territory.

The resistance leaders while referring to the election history of occupied Kashmir said that in 1953 when the so-called Legislative Assembly was created, all the 76 MLAs were elected unopposed and the people remained aloof from any voting process. "Is the contemporary democratic world not familiar with this kind of democracy" they asked.

Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik reiterated their stand that the people of Kashmir are engaged in a struggle aimed at securing their right to self-determination for which they have a huge investment in the form of 650,000 human lives, billions of worth property and honour so the participation in any kind of elections is dead impossible.

They termed the much hyped elections as a bait to lure the pro-India politicians acting agents to change the demography and state subject law and to exploit the resources of the territory.

The resistance leaders paying rich tributes to Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) described his sacrifices as a symbol of bravery to fight tyranny and subjugation. "He taught us to differentiate between right and wrong and stand by the right, come what may," they added.

The leaders urged the people of occupied Kashmir to maintain the unity and brotherhood at any cost at this critical juncture of the freedom movement when the Indian troops and communal elements with sinister designs are hell bent to divide them on sectarian lines under the imperial method of Divide and Rule. They appealed to the learned Ulama belonging to different schools of thought to shoulder their responsibilities to maintain unity and brotherhood at all levels.