Rejecting the assertions made by Indian leaders regarding the elections in Jammu Kashmir, the incarcerated chairman of Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) Shabir Ahmad Shah on Sunday said neither the constituent assembly of Jammu Kashmir has any authority to decide the future of the State nor can the “sham” elections in J&K be termed as substitute for the referendum.Shah was reacting against the statement of Permanent Counsellor in the Indian Mission to the U N, Mayank Joshi that “India is the world’s largest democracy and free and fair elections are held regularly in Jammu and Kashmir”.In a statement issued to KNS, Shah while rejecting Joshi’s statement said that time cannot change the historical facts and realities. “It is shocking that a new theory is being propounded to stop the people of Jammu Kashmir from seeking their birth right of self-determination,” he said, adding, “The people of J&K have never acknowledged the supremacy of Indian rule”.
“The people of J&K have never even acknowledged the so-called elections in the State which are conducted at gunpoint. Even many intellectuals of India have raised questions over the legitimacy of these sham elections,” he said.The DFP chairman said India despite orchestrating the election drama in J&K through the help of its collaborators couldn’t harm the UN resolutions regarding Kashmir that grant the people of the State the right to referendum.He said the history of J&K is witness that the so-called assembly members make it only through rigging and that their position is no more than a paid servant of New Delhi. “New Delhi should shun stubbornness, accept the ground realities, and consider the people’s mood, and conduct the plebiscite in Jammu Kashmir,” he said. Shah challenged the Indian prime minister to conduct the elections under the auspices of the international media and agencies instead of occupational forces. “Then, everything would be crystal clear,” he said.Shah also termed it “ridiculous” the remarks of chief minister Mehbooba Mufti regarding the prisoners saying, “Thousands of youth are confined to the four walls of their dark cells and are interrogated. Then calling for release of a few is nothing but a joke. History will remember Mehbooba for converting the whole State into a jail and every police station into an interrogation center.” (KNS)