Scrap existing EPICs, issue afresh: Omar

The issue of clandestine distribution of voter identity cards to Pakistani militants in Kashmir is snowballing into a major controversy with National Conference saying that they will not accept the Election Commission8217;s electoral photo identity card as the genuine means to ascertain the credentials of a voter in the forthcoming Assembly election. 8220;If a militant could get a voter card, how can we determine whether a card-holder is a genuine or fake voter? This entire exercise to issue voter identity cards is a waste of time unless the Election Commission either reviews each one of the existing cards or cancels all the previous cards to issue them afresh through a foolproof mechanism,8221; said National Conference president Omar Abdullah.

Abdullah said he will write to Chief Election Commissioner and seek an assurance in this regard. 8220;I don8217;t know how they can review 40 lakh such cards already issued because the Assembly elections are approaching. They have to come up with a solution acceptable to us. If it is easy for a militant to get this card, how can we rule out that the ruling political parties have not manipulated the system to provide non-state subjects and other fake voters with this identification,8221; he said.

The Electoral Photo Identity Card scandal in north Kashmir where the electoral registration officials had issued voter cards to militants, most of them Pakistani nationals, was exposed by The Indian Express on Sunday last. This prompted the CEC to say that a review will be conducted before the polls. The EC has issued more than 40 lakh such cards to voters since 2002 Assembly polls.

People8217;s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti has sought the Karnataka formula where voters can alternately use their other identification documents like ration cards, passports and driving licenses as an alternative to the EC8217;s photo identity card.

She said that her party is in favour of transparency in the entire process and will support any move by EC to make the entire electoral roll and the voter identity cards public to ensure preventing misuse.