Srinagar, October 20

(HS): Srinagar MP and National

Conference leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has described the protest in Delhi

against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as genuine, saying it

reflects efforts to restore democracy in the country. He alleged that Kashmir

has been polarised instead of being normalised and that an unfavourable

atmosphere has also been created for Kashmiris in other parts of the country.

Speaking to the media in

the Khanyar area of Srinagar on Tuesday, Ruhullah said students and concerned

citizens protesting in Delhi had faced hardships familiar to the people of

Jammu and Kashmir. Although the restrictions there were not as severe as those

experienced by people in Jammu and Kashmir, he said, there were similarities

between the two situations.

“It now appears that

democracy in this country has begun to breathe again after being suppressed

over the past 12 years. This is an effort by students and concerned citizens,”

he claimed.

He said the measures

taken in Delhi, including imposing restrictions in the national capital,

detaining activists and shutting down the internet, bore similarities to

incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. Despite these restrictions, he said, the activists

had continued their protest.

Calling for action

against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Ruhullah said objections had

also been raised from within the Election Commission. In his view, Kumar

therefore had no right to continue in the post.

“He should not only

resign but also face criminal proceedings. Questions have been raised about the

transparency of elections held under his supervision,” he said.

The MP said the protest

against the Chief Election Commissioner was an attempt to break the atmosphere

of pressure created by the BJP and reclaim the country and its democracy.

According to him, the protest would help safeguard the Constitution and the law

and give the people of Jammu and Kashmir some hope.

Reacting to the incident

in which a bus travelling from New Delhi to Kashmir was targeted in Haryana on

October 17, Ruhullah said Kashmir had been polarised instead of being

normalised. He said he had consistently maintained since 2019 that just as

conditions had been made hostile for Kashmiris in Kashmir, an unfavourable

atmosphere had also been created for them in other parts of the country.

He said Kashmir had been

downgraded constitutionally and legally, while its people had been made to feel

like suspects in their own state.

“Thousands of people are

lodged in different jails and have been detained merely on suspicion. Many of

them have been in custody for the past seven years. When Kashmiris travel along

a highway in south Kashmir, they realise the circumstances they are living

under,” he said.

Ruhullah said the

targeting of the bus in Haryana was an example of this situation. According to

him, the India created by the BJP had made it easier to target Kashmiris, who

face difficulties both within and outside the region.

Reacting to National Conference

president Farooq Abdullah’s recent statement opposing the abrogation of Article

370, Ruhullah said Abdullah had not said anything extraordinary.

“Everyone knows that the

abrogation of Article 370 was not right. Someone should ask Farooq Abdullah

what we are all doing to reverse that decision. What is the National Conference

doing? And what is the government formed for this purpose doing?” he said.

Criticising the

performance of the Omar Abdullah-led government in Jammu and Kashmir, Ruhullah

said people had been left disappointed both politically and in terms of

governance.

“We are told not to talk

about Article 370. We are labelled as people working to further Delhi’s agenda.

Similarly, young people are insulted when they raise their demands,” he said.

Hindusthan Samachar / Zahoor Hassan Bhatt