Local bodies’ elections in Kashmir only a ‘sham’: Soz

Srinagar : Former Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Saifuddin Soz on Saturday said the municipal bodies’ elections in Jammu and Kashmir were ‘sham’ as the state’s premier party, National Conference boycotted the polls.
“It was tragic that the present dispensation in Delhi had not been able to sustain a workable relationship even with the mainstream in Kashmir which led the state’s premier party, National Conference to boycott the Local Body Elections that led to a ridiculous sham of an election of Local Bodies in Kashmir,” he said, in a statement Saturday.
Soz also took a dig at Home Minister Rajnath Singh, saying his statement that the Government of India wants peace in the state was “not palatable as the facts on ground falsify the veracity of that statement.”
He said in reality, the present dispensation in Delhi wants “quietness of a graveyard, in Kashmir, not the real peace.”
“I could safely tell Mr. Rajnath that real peace has always come through an accord between the ‘Parties to the Dispute’ and situations of conflict turned into a harmonious atmosphere,” he said, in the statement. He said New Delhi should open itself to the workable experience of other nations, otherwise it will be a dangerous experiment for India to continue using force in Kashmir and go on killing people, day in and day out. “When Mr. Rajnath said that GOI is spending more and more money for fighting terrorism in Kashmir, he meant to say that Govt. of India is spending more money to produce a ‘superficially quiet atmosphere’. That will never mean peace as Peace always comes to the hearts and minds of people through discussions and dialogue!” he said.