Govt manipulation in garb of electoral roll revision: PAGD

Tarigami said all parties in J&K want elections in the UT and are concerned about “manipulation in the name of revision (of electoral rolls) by the administration and this government. There is a wave of anxiety about this in Kashmir as well as in Jammu.”

Referring to the Jammu DC’s order issued on October 12, authorising tehsildars to issue certificates of residence to those residing in the district for more than a year to enable their registration as voters, and its withdrawal a day later, he said, “One day an order is issued (to register new voters) and the next day it is taken back verbally. This has also been termed a misunderstanding.”

Tarigami urged the Election Commission, and “those concerned with keeping democracy alive, to read the order and understand its implications”.

Flanked by National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, Tarigami added, “We want to remind both the Lieutenant Governor and the Prime Minister of how we went to Delhi on their invitation. We also met the L-G on a separate occasion and told him about youths being picked up indiscriminately (by police) and sent to jails outside the UT. The PM and the L-G had both said that they will review this. Nothing has been done on the front.”

Stating that the situation is now so dire that jails are full not just in J&K but also in neighbouring states, Tarigami said, “We ask the people to stay united.” He said the PAGD’s stated position, as noted on August 4, 2019, stays firm: “We want a revocation of these constitutional changes of August 5, 2019. If done sooner than later, it would be better for the country. They will have to do this.”

The PAGD spokesperson also alleged that all civil liberties, constitutional rights and freedoms — freedom of expression, freedom of press, freedom of association, the freedom to survive, to live — “have been suppressed through dictatorial directives”.