SRINAGAR, 04 December, 2020, (TON): Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday voted in the first local elections since the tumultuous abrogation of the Muslim-majority region’s limited autonomy last August.

Voters across the disputed region’s 20 districts will elect 280 members of District Development Councils (DDC) who will have no power to legislate or amend laws in the region now directly run from New Delhi.

Voting is under way for the third phase on Friday. Indian media claims that second round held on Tuesday saw 49 percent voting amid tight security. Whereas, Pulwama district registered less than seven percent polling, clearly indicating lack of interest in the artificial resumption of democratic electoral process.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani has called for a “complete boycott” of DDC elections. In a statement he said “….. at a time when our freedom struggle against India’s illegal occupation is going through a crucial phase, conduction of DDC elections is to further the heinous designs of demographic changes, land grabs, building settler colonies, assaulting our economy and snatching our livelihood.”

Elections in Kashmir are just a symbolic exercise in a region to show normalcy in the Muslim majority region. There is no credibility of these elections as these elections bypasses institutions and creates new institutions.

People of IIOJK don’t consider these very significant elections and see them a tactic of New Delhi to claim that all was well in Kashmir after 5 August 2019.