Won’t vote even if Mirwaiz, Geelani ask us, Old City residents say
In the Old City stronghold of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chairman of his Hurriyat faction and valley’s chief cleric, the polling stations established in historic Islamia school at Rajouri Kadal wore a deserted look with polling staff and agents of political parties waiting for voters.
Till 12 noon, only 29 votes were polled out of 1565 votes at three polling stations in Islamia School, which gave refuge to hundreds of flood victims from uptown Srinagar in September, this year.
Interestingly, the polling station number 15 – Rajouri Kadal, witnessed zero polling out of 413 votes.
Rajouri Kadal is a strong hold of resistance movement synonymous with stone-pelting and anti-India demonstrations. The area houses the headquarters of Mirwaiz’ Awami Action Committee.
Outside the Islamia School adjacent to the lane which leads to Gani Memorial Stadium – where Wamiq Farooq and Tufail Matto – were killed in 2010, an elderly man, who had not polled his vote as he considers it ‘treachery’, told GNS: “We will not vote under Indian Constitution. It harms our Cause of Freedom.”
“I used to vote before the eruption of armed struggle but not after 1987 elections. Thousands of our youths have been killed. So much blood has been shed by India and you expect us to vote,” he said.
As the elderly man was speaking, many others, including youths, joined in. “We are on complete boycott,” they said in one voice. Asked what you think of those who vote, one of them said: “They are traitors. They trade the blood of martyrs. It hurts us when we see them vote forgetting everything.”
A youth, who had done his Masters in English, said: “Voting is sin. It is against Islam. I will never vote. We want Shari’ah (Islamic system of governance).”
“If India accepts Shari’ah in Kashmir, I will be the first person to vote. If Shari’ah is imposed in Kashmir, then there would be no Indian authority but we know India won’t do that. The National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party or other parties are all un-Islamic,” he said.
When asked what if pro-freedom leaders direct to vote, the people said: “Even if Geelani, Mirwaiz or anyone would tell us to vote, we won’t we will continue to boycott. We won’t play with the blood of martyrs. We have been boycotting right from 1931.”
Among the group, there was a boy calling himself the friend of Wamiq Farooq, the slain teenager killed by police teargas in Gani Memorial Stadium, told GNS that he can’t forgot ‘martyrs’ particularly Wamiq. “I remember when he was shot by police in head. We were playing carrom. A policeman appeared from a by-lane and he fired a teargas which hit Wamiq’s head and his skull bone got smashed.” he said, wishing not to be named.
“All we saw in our life is curfew, stone-pelting, crackdown. They pick up boys; barge into houses at 1:00 in the night and book under Public Safety Act (PSA). Then they take us to Kalakote and other jails,” the youth added.
They, the people who spoke to GNS, believe that those who vote in downtown are paid by candidates. “And, if some youth votes and goes to MLA seeking help, he will reply by saying that I paid you at the time of voting,” one of the youths said.
