JEDDAH, 13 September — The struggle of Kashmiris for their right to self-determination has reached a crucial stage and the forthcoming elections in the valley will determine the course of the struggle, said Sardar Abdul Qayyum who is leading a five-member delegation to Saudi Arabia to drum up support for the Kashmir issue.
Talking to Arab News on his arrival in Jeddah Wednesday, Qayyum said the elections will be a turning point in the freedom struggle. It could prove a boon for the fighters if it fizzles out as is anticipated but could be a big setback to the freedom movement if it succeeds. He said if the election is held and the participation is good, the movement for independence will be dealt a big blow. India will be able to garner more international support and isolate Pakistan.
India, he said, was trying to woo voters by hook or by crook. Delhi wants to legitimize its rule in Kashmir by holding the sham elections, Qayyum said. The Indian government will resort to all means to show the world that the elections are a substitute for plebiscite. The Kashmiris are being coerced into taking part in the poll. They are being issued new identity cards for the elections and those refusing to take the cards are being identified and will eventually be persecuted.
Regarding the Indian allegations of cross-border infiltrations, Qayyum said it was baseless. Pakistan is not sponsoring or abetting terrorism. If at all there were incursions, why the Indian troops who number around 800,000 cannot stop them.
He said Pakistan does not have the mechanism nor the equipment which the Indians have in place to stem infiltration. Indians, he said, were better placed to stop incursions.
The Indian charges of cross-border infiltrations are only aimed at putting pressure on Pakistan, Qayyum, who is also the Kashmir Committee chairman said.
Another member of the delegation, Ghulam Mohammad Safi, secretary-general of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, said the holding of the elections in phases is also aimed to ensure rigging and manipulation in results.
How can the election be fair in the presence of 800,000 troops and brutal atrocities on the civilian population? he questioned.
About the forthcoming elections, Safi said the elections are in contravention of UN resolutions which explicitly declared that the state constituent assembly would have no control, authority and prerogative to decide the fate of Kashmiris. He cited Resolutions 91 and 122 adopted by the UN Security Council in 1951 and 1957 to substantiate his contention.
The delegation that also comprises Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi, former minister for religious affairs, Nazeer Hussain Geelani, secretary, Ideology Council and Col. Farooq, will meet Saudi leaders and officials of the Organization of Islamic Conference, Islamic Development Bank, Rabita Al-Alam Al-Islami and World Assembly of Muslim Youth during their stay in the Kingdom.
The delegation will then visit Egypt, Turkey, Iran and the UAE. The aim of the visit is to apprise the Muslim countries of the atrocities being perpetrated on Kashmiri Muslims and the possible fallout of the elections in the valley.