NC rigging will fuel popular unrest in J-K – Mufti

Mufti was the candidate from Anantnag while his daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, was pitted against Omer Abdullah, minister of state for commerce and industry and son of chief minister Farooq Abdullah, in Srinagar. In spite of its debut, the JKPDP was runner-up in all the three constituencies and even won one of the two Assembly by-elections.

Mufti alleged that, while the separatist-sponsored boycott call against elections confined votersindoors in cities, the Election Commission brazenly overlooked transportation of busloads of bogus voters by the ruling party from one booth to another. “We kept sending in complaints and proof to the Election Commission authorities from time to time,” Mufti said, alleging “connivance between the EC and the ruling National Conference”.

The J&KPDP leader said an anti-Farooq Abdullah wave was sweeping the entire Kashmir Valley and when the prevailing sentiment was sought to be negated through `manipulated’ elections, the situation would be fraught with danger.

The former home minister said the insurgency in Kashmir would grow due to increasing unrest among people. He said that, as such, the situation had been deteriorating.

“The highhandedness of the NC has indeed convinced ordinary Kashmiris of the futility of the poll process in the state. It may have pushed many more into the Hurriyat fold,” he said.

Mufti demanded a high-level commission to probe all aspects of the elections in Kashmir. “Tosay the poll process has been completed and the deed done, would be extremely short-sighted. We should not allow repetition of 1987 in 1999 to go unchallenged,” he said.