IIOJK Leaders Reject Indian Assembly Elections: Call for Plebiscite and International Intervention

Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders have firmly rejected Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent announcement that assembly elections will be held in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir before September 30. According to the Hurriyat leadership, the elections, which will be conducted under the Indian Constitution, are not what the Kashmiri people seek. Instead, they demand a plebiscite in line with United Nations resolutions to determine their future and right to self-determination.

The announcement has been met with widespread opposition from Kashmiris who have historically resisted Indian rule. The Hurriyat leaders argue that these elections are another tactic by the Indian government to deceive the international community while continuing to suppress the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people. They emphasize that the ongoing struggle in Kashmir is not about participating in Indian-managed elections but about achieving freedom from what they describe as an illegal occupation.

Kashmir has a long history of contested elections marked by violence and allegations of fraud. The Hurriyat leaders claim that the upcoming elections will be no different, predicting they will neither be free nor fair and will only serve to reinforce India’s control over the region. They stress that the fundamental issue remains unresolved: the right of Kashmiris to decide their own fate through a UN-mandated plebiscite.

The call for a plebiscite is rooted in a series of United Nations Security Council resolutions passed in the late 1940s and early 1950s, which call for a referendum to allow the people of Jammu and Kashmir to choose between India and Pakistan. However, these resolutions have never been implemented, and subsequent Indian governments have maintained that the entire region is an integral part of India.

The Hurriyat leaders urge the international community to recognize the futility of the proposed elections and instead focus on supporting the Kashmiri demand for self-determination. They argue that international intervention is crucial to resolving the long-standing conflict and addressing the human rights abuses in the region.

The announcement by Amit Shah has not only deepened the sense of disenfranchisement among Kashmiris but has also sparked widespread anger and resentment. Many see it as another attempt by India to impose its will on the territory, disregarding the wishes and aspirations of its people. The Hurriyat leaders reiterate that the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace in the region is through honoring the commitment to a plebiscite, as originally envisioned by the UN.

To conclude, the stance of the Hurriyat leaders underscores an established discontent and resistance among Kashmiris towards Indian rule. They maintain that assembly elections under the Indian framework will not address the core issue of self-determination. Therefore, they call on the global community to step in and support the Kashmiri people’s right to decide their future, emphasizing that only a plebiscite can truly reflect the will of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.