We are, at the moment, negotiating the razor8217;s edge. As the first phase of the JK polls draws closer, the levels of violence 8212; pe...
3 min read
Whatsapp
Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
We are, at the moment, negotiating the razor8217;s edge. As the first phase of the J038;K polls draws closer, the levels of violence 8212; perpetrated with the express purpose of derailing this effort 8212; rise steadily, tragically. Six days ago, Sheikh Abdul Rehman, an independent candidate was gunned down in the Handwara constituency of Kupwara district. On Wednesday, it was the turn of the state law minister, Mustaq Ahmad Lone, as he was campaigning in Raitnag. Both these men have paid the price for having taken this crucial democratic process in their state seriously, attempting to reach out to the people. There are others, too, who have been felled, like Mehra Begum, the president of the National Conference8217;s women8217;s wing. Still others have been injured or have had their homes firebombed and their meetings disrupted.
You’ve Read Your Free Stories For Now
Sign up and keep reading more stories that matter to you.
Never has an election been more fraught with fear, but then never has an election had more at stake. This is, possibly, the most important state election that the country has witnessed to date. Given the scale of Wednesday8217;s violence, there may even be demands to postpone the polls. But their very significance militates against such a recourse. We must not falter at this stage because that would signal the victory of the terrorist project and the inability of the state to ensure that its democratic will is not thwarted. There are, after all, many forces within the country and across the border, who would desire nothing more than the disrupting of the J038;K elections. Their attempts must not meet with success.
But how do we do this 8212; and in a way that ensures an intimidation-free climate of security for the people so that they can exercise their franchise? This is what every political leader, administrator and security personnel in the region should be applying their minds to. They have failed thus far in securing these elections, despite several clear trends in the violence. Quite obviously there are certain regions in the state that are more vulnerable to such attacks 8212; the fact that both Rehman and Lone were killed in the Kupwara district indicates this. Again, large meetings are often the scene of such attacks. Lone8217;s death on Wednesday, at the hands of a burqa-clad assailant, recalled the assassination of respected Kashmir leader, Abdul Gani Lone, last May. The grenade attack on the residence of the state minister of tourism, Sakina Itoo, shows that even the residences of local leaders have not been secured adequately. Finally, with the prime minister in New York, India needs to alert the world community about the price it is paying for the global indifference to the war against terrorism that is being waged in J038;K.
