SRINAGAR: Asking people to boycott upcoming parliamentary elections, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Sunday said that India was portraying elections as referendum in her favor at international level.
Addressing people in Khrew area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, Malik said that “every honorable Kashmiri will keep away from voting and elections.”
“Democracy means accepting the freedom of expression and choice of people and providing them a chance to determine their future. It does not mean suppressing their democratic right but India and its puppets in Kashmir have always used elections to suppress our right to freedom and oppressing the common masses. Therefore every honorable Kashmiri will stay away from voting and elections,” Malik said.
Malik said that people have offered more sacrifices than the leaders here and “it is the people who have to keep a vigil and remain steadfast in their struggle.”
Malik said that democracy means accepting and respecting people’s choice, verdicts and freedom of expression.
“Giving people the right to choose their own future is the highest standard of democracy and in the near past, many Nations gained their freedom under this principle.
“Crimea is the latest nation that was given this choice and this list includes south Sudan, east Timor, and many more,” Malik added.
Malik said that according to this very principle Scotland, Quebec, New Caledonia, Catalonia etc are also exercising their democratic right in near future and will be given a choice to vote for their future.
“But India which claims to be the world’s biggest democracy, instead of fulfilling its pledges to Kashmiris, has and is subjecting the people of Jammu and Kashmir to worst kind of oppression for demanding this democratic right,” the JKLF chief said, adding “The irony is that India is using democracy and democratic institutions to crush, defame and distort the freedom movement of Kashmiris.”
“Therefore keeping these facts in sight people of Jammu and Kashmir have no choice but to refrain from participating in these so called democratic elections,” Malik added.
“Elections held in Jammu and Kashmir from 1947 although contested in the name of electricity, water, employment, progress, good governance and for running other day to day affairs but the fact of the matter is that India and its Kashmiri puppets always use this to defame our freedom struggle,” Malik said, adding “These people project this vote as being casted in favor of India and try to malign our movement and prolong our slavery.”
Malik said that India has always tried to use these “false elections to cement its illegal occupation on Jammu and Kashmir.”

Reader correspondent