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Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar
Reacting to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement in Rajya Sabha on Monday that he would be visiting Jammu and Kashmir to review the situation for the upcoming assembly election, Hurriyat Conference leader Prof Abdul Gani Bhat said that his organisation sought a permanent resolution of the 'Kashmir dispute'.
"We have had elections in the past as well but no assembly could or can solve the problem," he said indicating that his organisation would not participate in the polls.
Prof Bhat also said that the number of killings in Kashmir has increased.
"We think the graph of killing has gone up and the situation will improve only when the Kashmir dispute is addressed," he said.
Peoples Democratic Party vice president Mehbooba Mufti claimed that elections in Kashmir have always been 'rigged'.
"Democracy has never been allowed to cross the Jawahar Tunnel. It has not been allowed to take roots," Mufti said.
"Democracy and secularism could have cemented the relations between the state and rest of the country, but the large scale rigging in various elections completely shattered the confidence of Kashmiris," Mufti added.
"The prime minister's earlier statement had raised hopes that polls in the state would be fair and free but the large scale rigging in the recently held bypoll in the Jammu Parliamentary constituency has grounded our hopes," Mufti said.
"We welcome the prime minister's assurance and his invitation to the separatists to participate in the assembly polls," Mehbooba said.
She added that the Centre should give an assurance to separatists that meaningful talks would be held immediately after the polls to solve the Kashmir issue 'permanently'.
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