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Jethmalani calls announcement of J&K poll hasty

Former Union law minister Ram Jethmalani, who was till recently involved in negotiations with Kashmiri separatists, warned the government that without the participation of big separatist groups, voter turnout could be quite low in the Jammu & Kashmir assembly election.

Jethmalani told rediff.com, "Unless the government ties up the loose ends, the announcement of election dates will prove too hasty a step."

Jethmalani alleged that the government had not done enough homework to get more leaders into the electoral fray. He was referring to members of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference and a few former terrorists, many of whom are considered pro-Pakistan hardliners.

The prime minister's office, through its interlocutor A S Dulat, has been engaged in low-profile deliberations with separatist leaders, without substantial success.

Senior officials of the American embassy in New Delhi have also been talking to Hurriyat leaders in the capital and in Srinagar.

According to a senior officer in the PMO, Hurriyat leaders want "America to get a clear direction [on the election] from President [Pervez] Musharraf" of Pakistan.

A source in the home ministry claimed that New Delhi's efforts slowed down after the assassination of Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone. Some of the other Hurriyat leaders are unsure whether they will be able to win a reasonable number of seats, which is one of the factors in their reluctance to participate.

A Congress politician from the Kashmir valley said, "As of now, if the situation remains the same we expect 25 per cent polling, which is not a poor show in the current scenario."

The Congressman said Kashmiris know that not voting is not helping anybody. "But if Pakistan gears up the violence as polling day draws near, the mood could change. Fear is likely to outweigh people's desire to vote."

Sources in army intelligence in Jammu & Kashmir echoed Jethmalani's fear that "a low turnout can prove a major setback to the government's efforts to bring credibility to the whole process".

"Unless you get major participation of leaders," said Jethmalani, "you can't enthuse voters in a big way. To the best of my knowledge, the government has not taken care to ensure the participation of Kashmiri leaders. By announcing an election you are throwing a challenge to the separatists, which can prove counter-productive."

But according to the home ministry source, the Centre was under great pressure to complete the pre-election preparation and facilitate the Election Commission's announcement of the dates.

To make matters worse, Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah is not in favour of governor's rule as demanded by the Bharatiya Janta Party, Congress, and many other parties.

An army officer engaged in counter-terrorism in Srinagar, told rediff.com, "In no circumstances will the army help either side in this election. We have been asked to keep ourselves absolutely out of the process."

The officer pointed out that if the polling percentage proved to be dramatically low, it would be an embarrassing situation for India. "Our central plank will fall flat," he said. "And by the way, low percentages will ensure the victory of the ruling National Conference."

Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2002: The complete coverage

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