Purkhoo Camp (Jammu), April 27
Holding a bamboo stick to support himself in beeline of voters miles away from his home in Wandhama hamlet in Srinagar district, 64-year old massacre survivor, Lok Nath was the first to vote yesterday for the end of terror in Kashmir valley, at the Purkhoo migrant camp, ignoring boycott call of militants.

Struck by the massacre of his six-member family among 26 Kashmiri Pandits in non-descript Wandhama hamlet on January 26, 1997, former revenue officer Nath told PTI “I voted in 1996 Lok Sabha polls first in my village Wandhama in Kashmir despite poll boycott call of separatists for restoration of democracy and peace besides end of terror era in Kashmir valley.”

“Despite my bad health, I continued to vote in 1996, 2004 Assembly polls and 1998 and 1999 for peace and end of terror after losing my entire family to terrorism in 1997,” Mr Nath said.

Like him, Rani, who lost her husband and a daughter in Sangrampura (Budgam) massacre of 11 Kashmiri Pandits, said “vote is my weapon to take revenge on militants and separatists.”

“I cannot take a gun and kill militants, instead, I voted today for peace and end of terror to satisfy myself by voting against poll boycott call,” she said.

Like them, over 34 per cent of Kashmiri Pandits had cast votes ignoring the poll boycott call not only in the Purkhoo Camp but also in the rest of five migrants’ camps including Mishriwala, Muthi, Nagrota, Battal Balliain and Garhi in Jammu and Udhampur districts today.

Even as Pandit migrant voters, who had queued up in front of camp polling station, were eager to vote, hundreds of them returned disappointed due to faulty voting lists.

“Nearly 15000 to 20000 voters of Kashmiri Pandits are non-existent in voter lists this time in Jammu,” BSP candidate, Dr B.I. Raina and an independent candidate K.K. Khosa said.

There should be repolling at the polling stations in migrant camps after correcting the faulty voter lists and putting an end to cumbersome m-form process, Mr Raina and Mr Khosa said adding present polling was not doing justice to Kashmiri Pandits.

“I have voted in 2004 Assembly elections, besides, 1999 and 1998 Lok Sabha polls. But this time my name was not in the voters’ list. My father, who died in 1996, is a voter in 2004 LS election voter list,” Mr Satesh Koul of Nagrota camp said.

Srinagar, April 27
Accusing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of “malpractices” during the polling in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency yesterday, senior National Conference (NC) leader Ali Mohammad Sagar today demanded a repoll in 13 polling booths.

Mr Sagar, who was the chief election agent of party candidate from the Srinagar constituency Omar Abdullah, told reporters here today that the National Conference had communicated its demand to the Chief Election Commissioner yesterday.

Srinagar, April 27
The Kashmir valley was back to normal today after a day-long general strike following polling for the Srinagar parliamentary constituency which witnessed 21 per cent voter turnout.

Business establishments and educational institutions re-opened today after yesterday’s strike. Vehicular traffic was normal and there were reports of traffic jams at several places.

Various organisations, including the Hurriyat Conference, had called for a poll boycott in protest against the Kashmir issue not being resolved.

The Chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference faction, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) chief, Shabir Ahmad Shah, who were under house arrest for the past four days to prevent them from addressing anti-election rallies, were allowed to move out of their homes this morning.