Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 21: Chairman JK People’s Democratic Front (JKPDF) and former minister Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen has sought an exhaustive clarification from the Centre to allay all the apprehensions among the people on the recent statement that 25 lakh more voters would be added in the voter electoral rolls including those outsiders residing ordinarily in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Though Government has made some clarifications in this regard but a sustained, vigorous and comprehensive awareness campaign at the block, tehsil and district levels need to be launched on war footing basis in this regard to allay apprehensions that non domiciles would be enlisted in the electoral rolls,” he said in a statement, issued here today.
Hakeem Yaseen expressed his concern over the non seriousness of the EC representatives on the sensitive issue of proposed Assembly elections in J&K and addition of new voters from amongst outsiders residing ordinarily here. He said that matter needs to be investigation that under what circumstances such a statement was issued that caused unrest among the people of J&K. He said this statement has a potential to cause more alienation and mistrust towards mainstream.
“Both Center and JK Union Territory Governments should come clean on the matter and clear the dust in this regard, keeping in view the sensitivity of the issue,” he said and stressed that non locals and temporary residents should, in no case, be enrolled in the voter lists for J&K Assembly polls. Allowing anyone ordinarily residing in UT to enroll himself/herself as voter would completely disempower local populace, he further said.
PDF Chairman said that the people were religiously sensitive and emotional about their special identity and would in no way tolerate any attempt to fiddle with demography of their motherland – Jammu and Kashmir . “Both Center and JK Governments, in order to uphold sanctity of the electoral democracy, should immediately remove all apprehensions and mistrust as the clarification given in this regard was not sufficient enough to clear doubts of the people completely,” he said.
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