On Tuesday, Indian-occupied Kashmir held voting for the third and final round of elections to establish its first government since the territory, which seeks freedom, came under direct control of New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government revoked Kashmir’s partial autonomy in 2019, a sudden move that was accompanied by mass arrests and an extended communication blackout.
Since that time, the region—claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but divided between the two—has lacked an elected government, being governed instead by a federally appointed governor.
With more than half a million Indian troops stationed throughout Kashmir, Tuesday’s election featured a significant security presence, with armed soldiers seen safeguarding polling stations in the Baramulla district.
A high unemployment rate and anger at the 2019 changes have animated campaigning, and local parties have promised to fight for the restoration of Kashmir’s autonomy.
More than 55 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the first two rounds of the poll.
Prior elections saw lower turnouts after boycotts called by freedom fighters groups, who have waged a decades-long struggle demanding Kashmir’s independence or its merger with neighbouring Pakistan.
Tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels have been killed since the conflict began in 1989, including dozens this year.
Islamabad controls a smaller portion of the mountainous territory, divided since the end of British colonial rule in 1947.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) says the 2019 changes to the territory’s governance have delivered a new era of peace to Kashmir and rapid economic growth.
That is disputed by political parties in Kashmir, who say the accompanying security clampdown brought a drastic curtailment of civil liberties.
The territory, officially titled Jammu and Kashmir, is split.
One part is the overwhelmingly Muslim Kashmir Valley. Another is Hindu-majority Jammu district in the south, geographically divided from the rest of Kashmir by mountains.
Regardless of the outcome, key decisions about Kashmir’s governance will remain in the hands of Delhi, where Modi’s government can use its parliamentary majority to override any legislation passed by the 90-seat assembly. Results will be announced on October 8.
Source: Dunya News