Fearing uprising, India shelves Kashmir polls

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir Facing massive demonstrations and the threat of rebellion, India’s electoral authority has cancelled parliamentary by-elections set for May 25 in disputed Jammu and Kashmir. Calling the situation “fearful” and “not conducive” for elections, the Election Commission cancelled the polls for the Anantnag constituency in southern Jammu and Kashmir, earlier scheduled to be held on April 12, three days after the Srinagar constituency went to by-polls on April 9. But that day thousands of unarmed civilians clashed with heavily armed Indian forces, who killed nine civilians and wounded over 100. The elections saw a mere 7 percent turnout. The Indian government then postponed the Anantnag elections to May 25. “We told the government that by our assessment, not only will there be a less that 3 percent turnout, there will also be more demonstrations and clashes than we saw in Srinagar. That is why the elections have been cancelled,” a senior Intelligence officer, who asked not to be named due to lack of authorization to speak to the media, told Anadolu Agency. The Election Commission had demanded around 68,000 Indian armed forces personnel, in addition to the 54,000 paramilitary troopers already in Kashmir, be deployed for the Anantnag by-poll, but was turned down by the Indian Home Ministry, which said that it could only spare 25,000 more personnel. The elections have now been indefinitely suspended. Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China. Since they were partitioned in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965 and 1971 – two of them over Kashmir. Kashmiri resistance groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan. More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict since 1989. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed region.