Anger against parties simmers in J&K

There is a palpable sense of anger against mainstream political parties in this militancy-infested town of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district as the elections draw closer. On Friday, the area observed a spontaneous shutdown after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah arrived here to address an election rally.

Amid hundreds of security personnel manning lanes and bylanes of the town, which is 40 km from Srinagar, Omar addressed a handful of his party workers before leaving in a hurry. A tight vigil was maintained during the chief minister’s presence with people being subjected to security checks as well.

This was expected to be the last election rally of the ruling NC-Congress in Tral, as next week, the Anantnag-Pulwama parliamentary constituency, of which it is a part, goes to polls.

This was the third time in less than six months that the town observed a shutdown to protest against Omar’s visit. Last year, on November 21 and December 18, the chief minister had faced a similar situation. Though the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti had recently addressed a rally here, the number of attendees, according to locals, was meagre.

“In the last five years, Omar has come here only thrice and that too at the fag end of his tenure. This government completely ignored Tral on the development front.

Why should we welcome him when he is coming here to seek votes for his party?” Syed Aijaz, a local told Deccan Herald. He said people were not interested in voting for any party. “Why should they risk their life and vote for politicians who never give an ear to their problems?” Aijaz questioned.

Echoing similar sentiments was Nisar Ahmad, a shopkeeper. “Just yesterday (on Thursday), militants killed a PDP sarpanch in a neighbouring village and before that, an NC leader’s house was attacked not far away from Tral. Why should people put their lives at risk for these corrupt and arrogant politicians?” he asked.

A senior police officer posted in the area acknowledged that the recent surge in the violence in south Kashmir will have a huge impact on polling percentage.