Srinagar, September 15
Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani has called for the boycott of Assembly elections scheduled later next year.

"We are not against democratic process. But there are valid reasons and strong arguments in support of our stand," Geelani, chief of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, said in a statement here.

This has come at a time when parties like the Congress, the PDP and the Opposition National Conference virtually have geared up for the election campaign much ahead of the announcement.

Referring to his participation in the democratic process during which he had been elected to the Legislative Assembly thrice between 1972 and 1987, Geelani held he had tried to impress upon the government of India on the importance of the Kashmir issue through this process.

He alleged that India was not in favour of true democratic process in the state adding that only force and pressure tactics were being adopted in the state.

He said the 1987 elections had a significant turn in the state when people realised the futility of these elections after four decades.

"People realised this process would not restore their rights. It also became clear that votes are polled only to exhibit the process in which only representatives are nominated to bestow power upon the favourites of New Delhi", he stated.

Geelani pointed out that due to this approach Kashmiri youth took to the gun. He added that election boycott was equivalent to the participation, but all elections held in Jammu and Kashmir after 1996 were like Army operations.

Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has asked party functionaries to disseminate the party’s pro-people policies and programmes at the grassroots level in the run-up to the Assembly elections.

Amid the efforts ahead of elections, senior politician and former MP Abdul Rashid Kabuli joined the PDP earlier this week, while Showkt Kar, a political worker in the Kishtwar area of the Jammu region has also announced to join the PDP.

The PDP’s main coalition partner, the Congress has already asked its members to gear up for the Assembly elections.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad last month had asked his party legislators and ministers to work for the early completion of development works taken up by the coalition government.

National Conference patron and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdulllah called his partymen to be ready for the next Assembly elections.

Udhampur, September 15
Although militancy-related incidents have been declining in the past one year, the Army does not favour reduction of troops or ceasefire at this juncture, especially ahead of the winter season.

The Army feels truce might provide an opportunity to the militants to regroup and strengthen network.

General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) Northern Command Lt-Gen H.S. Panag said at the Northern Command headquarters here this afternoon that militancy was at its peak in 2003 and since then there was a decline in militant activities.

He, however, added that infiltration had been going on in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Attempts of infiltration have been going on. It is all due to the counter infiltration strategy of the Army these attempts have been repeatedly foiled'', he said.

The GoC-in-C revealed that 52 training camps for militants had been functioning in Pakistan.

Of these, 52 training camps about 30 had been operating in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or northern area.

He said about 5,000 trained militants had waiting across the border to cross into this side.

Quoting figures, he said in 2006, 267 militants infiltrated to this side till August 31 while in same period this year 278 militants have infiltrated to this side.

Regarding the demand of ceasefire by some parties during Ramzan, the General said any truce at this time, especially on the onset of winter might give an opportunity to the militants to regroup and strengthen at ground level.

This step at this time would pose a bigger threat to the national security.