In accordance to the Presiding Officers’ diaries of the 11 Assembly constituencies of Pulwama, Shopian and Kathua districts, which went to polls yesterday in the fifth phase of J&K Assembly Elections 2008, following is the polling percentage in each constituency, according to official reports furnished by the information department of J&K Government.

In the Kashmir province, the percentage recorded in various constituencies was consistently higher as compared to the last assembly elections. Tral 48.78; Pampore 43.42; Pulwama 40.83; Rajpora 50.61; Wachi 48.54 and Shopian 52.71.

In the year 2002 when the assembly elections were held last, Tral had recorded only 11.54 per cent polling. Pampore had recorded 19.16 per cent; Pulwama had recorded 18.13 per cent; Rajpora had recorded 36.71 per cent; Wachi recorded 28.38 per cent and in Shopian the percentage was only 26.90 per cent.

When we compare the figures for two successive assembly elections, it becomes clear that the percentage of polling is four times more in Tral this time. In other constituencies as well, the polling has been double or more than double this time, in case of the constituencies in the Kashmir region.

In Jammu province, in Kathua district, the percentages recorded in various assembly segments was also higher than recorded in 2002. Bani 74.00; Basohli 69.23; Kathua 73.00; Billawar 70.65 and Hiranagar 67.00.

During the year 2002, the five segments of Kathua district had recorded lower percentages of polling. In Bani, it stood at 67.62 per cent; in Basohli it was 63.14 per cent; in Kathua it was 56.98 per cent; in Billawar it was 63.80 per cent and in Hiranagar it was 61.19 per cent.

The average overall polling percentage in the 11 constituencies this time is 58.50 while that of Pulwama district is 46.09, Shopian district 50.65 and that of Kathua district is 70.47.
Only two more phases of elections in J&K are left and whether the tempo of high polling percentage witnessed in earlier phases is maintained remains to be seen.

Keeping pace with the popular voter response that marked first three phases of J&K Elections 2008, the overall voter turnout in the 18 constituencies spreading in the four districts, which went to polls on Sunday (Dec. 07), has been recorded at 59 per cent.

This voter turnout in these constituencies is much higher than the 2002 elections, which is normally considered the landmark election in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2002 elections, the polling percentage in these constituencies was 48.36. A rise of almost 11 per cent has been recorded in 2008 which can be termed as a healthy trend as it clearly shows better voter participation.

Among the districts Reasi recorded maximum of 75 per cent polling followed by Udhampur and Budgam districts with 62.67 per cent and 62.44 per cent, respectively. The Baramulla district recorded lowest 47.48 per cent.

It may be recalled that in the first phase of elections in 2002, the polling percentage recorded was 69 while as the voter turnout in the 2nd phase was 68.29 per cent and in the 3rd phase 68.22 per cent.

The heavy polling in the four phases is a clear triumph of democracy despite the campaign for boycott of election by some elements.

In Sunday’s polling, Uri Assembly constituency recorded massive voter turnout of 82 per cent and Sopore the lowest of 18.89 per cent.

The announcement of Javed Iqbal joining the party was made by Dr. Farooq Abdullah himself while filing his nomination papers from the Sonwar Assembly Constituency. Dr. Abdullah termed Javed’s joining NC as auspicious tiding and welcomed him into the party fold amidst applause and enthusiasm by hundreds of NC workers gathered on the occasion.

Javed Iqbal who belongs to a prominent family of south Kashmir while speaking on the occasion said that the same people who had miserably failed to govern the state and brought it on the verge of disharmony, anarchy and chaos towards the end of their rule were how shedding crocodile tears pleading for a second chance to rule the state.

He said that we should strengthen the NC and the hands of Dr. Farooq Abdullah for responsive governance, employment and peace so as to bring the state out of the mess that the outgoing coalition had landed it into.

Mufti’s betenoire Javed campaigned aggressively against Mufti in the Katyar Parliamentary election of 1996 which Mufti eventually lost.

Javed was welcomed among others by National Conference leaders Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mubarak Gul & Irfan Ahmad Shah .

About 62 per cent voters exercised their right of franchise in the five Assembly constituencies of Kupwara district which went to the polls in the third phase of Assembly Elections 2008 in the State, today.

This was stated by the Chief Electoral Officer, J&K, Mr. B. R. Sharma, while briefing the media persons, here this evening, about the polling in the five constituencies of Karnah, Kupwara, Lolab, Handwara and Langate. He said that the polling in all the five constituencies was held smoothly and in a peaceful manner, adding that there were no reports of violence from anywhere in the district.

Giving details, the Chief Electoral Officer said that Karnah Assembly constituency recorded 79 per cent voter turnout, Kupwara 60.52, Lolab 64.05, Handwara 59.07 and Langate Assembly constituency recorded 53.56 per cent voter turnout.

Mr. Sharma said that these are tentative figures as the information from 38 far-flung polling stations in the district is still awaited, adding that this could further raise the overall polling percentage. The polling stations from were the reports are yet awaited include two in Karnah, 11 in Kupwara, 10 in Lolab, seven in Handwara and eight in Langate. He said that today’s poll percentage in Kupwara district is much higher as compared to the 2002 Assembly elections. Mr. Sharma said that 480 polling stations had been set up in the district.

The Chief Electoral Officer also gave details about the migrant voters, who also exercised their right of franchise for various constituencies of Kupwara district at Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi.
The Chief Electoral Officer said that 375 Micro Observers had been deployed in the five Assembly constituencies of Kupwara district for monitoring the poll process to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. He said that there are 71 contestants in fray in the district.

Incidentally, during the 2002 Assembly elections, the Kupwara district had grappled with the loss of a sitting MLA when terrorists struck.

The person to lose his life to terrorists in September 2002, in the first phase of elections, was Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, a minister in the government headed by Farooq Abdullah.

Overall, voting has been held in three phases in J&K so far and in all three phases, the polling percentage has been higher as compared to the 2002 figures.

If it is any consolation, most of the TV channels have now termed the terrorist attack in Mumbai as an attack on India. A full 48 hours after the attackers went berserk in the economic capital of the country.

Is it an attack or war on India because five-star hotels have become targets where rich and the famous go and dine? Or is the attack being termed a war because the realization has now dawned that terrorism is actually a war being waged against the nation?
Whichever way you look at it, it is definitely not a comforting thought to think that it takes so long for us to understand the nuances of a situation.

Was the attack in Chinore on innocent civilians not an attack or war on India? Were the attacks on Raghunath mandir and Jammu railway stations also attacks on India? Were the massacres of innocent Hindus and Muslims in Doda and Rajouri attacks on India?

Security and defense analysts from world over have been saying that terrorism is nothing but a war on nations. Only it is not a declared and open war in the conventional sense with defined borders being violated, where opposing Armies get ranged against one another.

The ding-dong battle that the National Security Guards (NSG) and Marine Commandos had to wage against terrorists was watched by the nation, LIVE. Even as the operation was going on, dozens of people crowded on the streets around the venue.

The crowds shouted Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Ganapati Bappa Moreya even as the security forces went about their job. Did that help the NSG commandos and others in the operations? Certainly not is the answer but no effort was made by the officers in charge of the situation to send the crowds packing.

The politicians of the country, who should be the one to mobilize the masses and lead, in such crisis situations, were the only people conspicuous by their absence.

Why the crowds could not be sent home? Because they were angry and do not trust the politicians in the country. The crowds were out in an outpouring of frustration and disbelieve. No politician had the moral courage to appeal to them to go home and leave the operation in the hands of professional soldiers and security personnel.

When the Maharashtra chief minister, Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh, appeared on the scene, it did not take him too long to attack his Gujarat counterpart, Mr Narendra Modi. Mr Deshmukh was provided the opening by a reporter who asked a leading question.

It would have been perhaps far better for Mr Deshmukh to have kept his mouth firmly shut and not responded. If Mr Modi was in Mumbai to politicize the situation, there was no reason for Mr Deshmukh to have responded in kind.

It is partly the ineptness of the intelligence apparatus that Mr Deshmukh heads which created the situation of havoc in which Mumbaikars found themselves. Partly it was the failure of the Ministry of Home Affairs headed by Congress leader, Mr Shivraj Patil.

On Thursday night, Sohail Seth was scathing in attacking Mr Patil whom he termed as the worst home minister India has had till date. Trust us, Mr Seth, people in Jammu and Kashmir already know that for a fact.

During the recent Amarnath land row, Mr Shivraj Patil had taken some decisions (or rather failed to take) which worsened the situation, instead of improving it.

In case of Mumbai attack also, Mr Shivraj Patil is one person conspicuous by his absence from facing the TV cameras.

It was left to sauve Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Union minister for external affairs, to face the reporters. This should essentially have been Mr Patil’s job to brief the reporters and the nation but he has not been seen anywhere.

Any criticism of Mr Patil at this juncture may again be termed as politicization by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). But is the criticism unwarranted and isn’t it the time for Mr Patil to pack his bags?

Any other home minister with an iota of self-respect would perhaps have tendered his resignation and excused himself to escape from scorn but not our dapper Mr Patil. He continues to believe that he is doing an excellent job of leading the home ministry. In fact, the way he presents his case, it appears to suggest that he believes his subordinates are not doing enough.

The citizens of the country need to shed some of their liberties, if that is required, and help the security agencies to discharge their duties better. They will have to bear with repeated searches, questions from security forces and such other inconveniences if they want to feel secure.

This is something that Israel has done, this is what America has been doing and the whole of the West is following. May be in India we will have to submit ourselves to checks by security agencies and help them. By being vigilant, always.

As these lines are being written, close to 100 people, including at least a dozen policemen (many drawn from the Anti-Terrorist Squad or ATS), have already lost their lives in the terror attack in Mumbai. At least 200 people are reported to have been injured and it will be some time before a full assessment about its repercussions is made.

The Mumbai police has already lost its ATS chief Hemant Karkare, ACP Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar. Mr Karkare was a well-known officer who was handling several important terrorist-related cases.

The trio were the faces of the anti-terrorist establishment of the Maharashtra police and maintained liaison with the other state police oranisations. The loss of these three men is a serious setback to the ATS.

The attack has paralysed the economic capital of the nation as the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and schools and colleges have been ordered to be shut. For the day. when was it the last time the BSE and NSE had to be closed, like this, due a situation over which the authorities seem to have little control?

The final toll in the attack which started on Wednesday night may go up. The economic loss and loss of face will take some time to be assessed fully. An attack on five-star hotels in the heart of Mumbai is not something which anybody will be able to brush aside easily.

The Taj, Nariman and Oberoi house buildings (attacked by the terrorists) are the pride of Mumbai, its most visible symbols, known the world over. These brick and mortar buildings are better known than the film stars that Mumbai produces and have seen several generations of these stars.

The attack on the hotels which have become the face of Mumbai, worldwide, and are known to host foreign nationals, has shaken up the confidence of the world community in India as a safe destination. So far, the embassies of various countries have only been advisories to their nationals to avoid traveling to J&K.
The attack on Mumbai, the heart of Indian free economy, and an icon of its cosmopolitan character, will go a long way in shaping the nation’s policies towards handling of terrorism.

There are reports now saying the English cricket team no longer wants to continue with their tour and call it off. It is pertinent to point out here that the team led by Kevin Pieterson was scheduled to play a match in Mumbai also.

The terrorists who have carried out the attack, according to intelligence reports, had entered Mumbai using speed-boats. The leaks from intelligence agencies suggest that these terrorists had come from Karachi (Pakistan) using the sea route.

The agencies have claimed that the manner in which the attack has been carried out makes it clear that it was the handiwork of Lashkar-e-Tayebba (LeT), an organisation known for its motivated cadre and their training.

Some days ago, officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had talked to their Indian counterpart saying any cancellation of the Indian team’s tour to Pakistan will hit the confidence building measures (CBMs) the two nations have been taking.

It would be a pity if the Pakistan tour of Indian cricket team is called off but to brush aside the very real threat to the young guns led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni will not be an easy call for the establishment. It will not be the conditions on the cricket grounds that will form the basis of assessment regarding the Indian tour but things far beyond the patches of 22 yards and their surroundings.

The memories of attack on Marriot hotel in Islamabad in the recent past are too harrowing to be brushed aside or wished away. The Indian establishment will have to be extremely cautious and careful in assessing the threat perception to the Indian cricket team before a final decision is taken.

In Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto lost her life almost an year ago in an attack which was classified as the handiwork of terrorists. After that, it has come repeatedly under attack from terrorists but yet India and Pakistan are poles apart when it comes to joining hands to combat the menace.

The Union minister of state for home, Mr Sriprakash Jaiswal, has already declared that the Central government is doing all it can do to counter such attacks. He admitted that close to 200 National Security Guards (NSG), Navy commandos and the Army were involved in flushing out the terrorists.

His comments condemning the incident as being the most heinous terrorist attack on India is fairly predictable. So is his admission that the intelligence agencies have failed to piece together actionable intelligence. In the past, and in this case as well.

All his comments are, however, not very reassuring because they have been heard before. The attack in Chinore (Jammu) a couple of months ago was an occasion when such comments were heard last. The predictability and pattern of these comments are sickening because the government seems to have done little to strengthen the anti-terrorist agencies.

The capacity-building of these agencies and giving the confidence to the people that the government was keen on combating terrorism, whatever be the cost, are messages that the people have been waiting to hear. For a long time.

The first terrorist attacks started in J&K almost two decades ago. These attacks then became sporadic as days passed and before anybody could do anything about it, Srinagar city was entirely in the grip of youth who thought guns would solve the Kashmir problem.

The kidnapping of Rubiya Sayeed, daughter of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, then home minister of the country, only emboldened these gun carriers. The government capitulated before the demands raised by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) of Yaseen Malik and what happened next is too well known.

(Incidentally, Malik decided to give up gun some years later and now pursues his cause of ``Azadi’’ using non-violent mobilization of masses.)

Soon, the whole of the Valley erupted and gun-carrying youths achieved iconic status in the Kashmir valley. It was then routine to see the JKLF cadres exhorting the youth on the streets in the downtown areas of Srinagar city to take to the guns.

Thousands and then lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) fled from the Kashmir valley where they had lived for thousands of years. They moved to Jammu, Delhi, Mumbai and all over the country and some even went abroad.

They have not been able to return to their homes and hearths.
Some time later, the arc of terrorism spread and moved to south of mighty Pir Panjal mountains which separate the 16000 square kilometers of Kashmir valley from 26,000 square kilometer mountainous Jammu region, geographically.

Initially, Muslim-majority areas of Poonch, Rajouri and Doda were engulfed and then it was attacks on railway station and Raghunath Mandir in Jammu city. Both these places were attacked twice.
Spreading far beyond the borders of J&K, the scourge of terrorism has now engulfed the entire nation.

But have our politicians been able to mobilize the masses for fighting this battle together? Are there any cohesive policies being formulated to take things further to restore the confidence of the masses? To make them feel secure.

The nation wants answers to these questions and the politicians can ignore them only at their peril.

The Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. B. R. Sharma, said here on Sunday said that about 65% voting was recorded in the six Assembly constituencies of Ganderbal and Rajouri districts that went to polls in the second phase of polling.

While briefing the media at Media Center, here this evening after the conclusion of second phase of polling, Mr. Sharma said the voting percentage was more than the figures recorded in the 2002 Assembly Elections in these constituencies.

Giving details, the Chief Electoral Officer stated that the voting percentage in Kangan constituency was around 61, in Ganderbal 44.33, in Nowshera 70, Rajouri 67, and in Kalakote and Darhal constituencies 73 per cent each. Stating that these were tentative figures and the final figures will be worked out after actual details are received from all the Presiding Officers of the polling stations, the CEO said this may further increase the poll percentage.

The CEO said that special arrangements had been made for Kashmiri migrant voters of Ganderbal and Kangan constituencies and gave details about the votes cast by the migrants at Udhampur and Jammu today.

The Chief Electoral Officer stated that polling was by and large peaceful, adding that no major incident was reported from any where during the second phase of elections today. Mr. Sharma, however, said that some complaints were received from various quarters which were immediately examined and mostly found baseless.

Replying to a question about the poll percentage figures in the first phase, the CEO denied the allegations and stated that the elections are being held in a totally transparent manner. He said that the long queues outside polling booths is there for every one to see and added that the elections are being held in a free, fair and transparent manner in the full gaze of media.

The CEO also added that this time Micro Observers, who were Central government employees from outside the State, had been appointed to monitor the poll proceedings, adding that 268 Micro Observers were appointed for the second phase. Elaborating on the role of Micro Observers, the CEO stated that they directly report to the Observers, who convey the same to the Election Commission of India.

In reply to another question, the CEO said that the variation in the poll percentage communicated by Returning Officer of Sonawari Assembly constituency was due to tabulation error and the final poll percentage of 59.64% was actual and consolidated from Presiding Officers after tallying with their diaries.

Meanwhile, an official spokesman has described as ridiculous the statement made by Co-ordination Committee, spearheading election boycott campaign in the State that the high polling percentage recorded in the first phase of elections in Jammu & Kashmir on November 17, 2008 was fudged.

Reacting sharply to a media report, the spokesman said that the massive turnout of the electorate was a clear mandate for the electoral and democratic process and vehement rejection of the election boycott call given by separatist organizations. The unprecedented voter turnout, notwithstanding coercion, intimidation and threat, has unnerved the pro-boycott groups. Sensing outright rejection of their politics by people, these elements now come up with fantastic stories to cover up, he said.

The spokesman recalled that the polling on November 17 was internationally hailed as the most fair and free. He said the media-persons who visited the length and breadth of all constituencies reported that people came out in large numbers and voter participation was massive. The electoral exercise was witnessed and described as transparent, free and fair by one and all, he said and added that there was no report of coercion from anywhere.

Even today’s high poll percentage in Rajouri and Ganderbal districts was a further and louder reiteration of people’s rejection of anti-poll and pro-boycott politics and reaffirmation of their faith in democratic values.

The spokesman said that it was right time that the separatist elements read the writing on the wall and stop creating problems for the people by resorting to ill-advised politics of boycott and hartals coupled with violence which has already damaged immensely the interests of the people in the valley. He said the student and traders communities especially have been hit hard by frequent strikes.

The people by coming out in lakhs to participate in the electoral process, have responded with a big “No” to the boycott call given by separatist elements who would do good to themselves and the State by accepting the ground reality that amply demonstrates pro-democracy mood of the people.

The National Conference patron, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has expressed his gratitude to Pakistan and militant groups like Hizbul Mujahideen for not interring in the polling process in the first phase of the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Expressing his happiness over the turnout of the voters in the first phase of elections held recently, Dr Abdullah has said that the people should exercise their franchise in the same way and should come out for voting in large numbers so as to strengthen the democratic set-up, in the next six phases also.

“I have no hesitation to express gratitude to Pakistan and militant groups like Hizbul Mujahideen for not interfering in the peaceful process of elections and allowing people to exercise their democratic right as per their own wish”, he added.

“My party has a dream of stable Kashmir and we will not leave any stone unturned to ensure peaceful and dignified solution of the issue”, he said adding, “We all have to sit down with all stake holders to find a solution to the core issue and make a comprehensive plan which is acceptable to all the section of the society to find a lasting solution”.

However, he said that his party is also focusing on the day today sufferings of the common masses and has comprehensive plans for addressing the same. “If voted to power my party will form a govt which will work the welfare and overall development of the state and its people”.

This is an important statement in that it seeks to address an important nuance of the J&K problem, the role of separatists.
Dr Abdullah has thus made it clear that the analysts who are interpreting a high voter turnout in first phase of J&K elections as complete marginalization of separatists are wide off the mark.

The separatists will have a role in the final resolution of the J&K problem needs to be understood, as also perhaps acknowledged. The mainstream parties have been contesting successive elections for day to day governance to address issues pertaining to development, health care, education facilities etc. In that sense, the 2008 Assembly elections are no different.

Those participating in these elections are contesting because they claim that they can provide better governance. None of them is claiming that the elections will sort out the J&K problem and resolve it finally, without the participation of the separatists.

The J&K problem can get resolved only through sustained dialogue between (or among) different parties, the most important being India and Pakistan. Another set of participants in this dialogue process will be the politicians of the state, of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and even areas of Gilgit.

That dialogue is not the focus of the Assembly elections now underway. The voters are not giving their opinion about this dialogue process through the franchise.

Given this, it is important that the issue of resolution of the J&K problem and elections in the state for providing government are not inter-linked. It is a subtle difference but needs to be stressed.
Separatist leader Sajjad Lone, who had contributed in his own way to the ongoing debate about the resolution of the J&K problem, has remarked: ``One swallow does not make a summer.’’

Incidentally, Sajjad Lone’s views about a possible resolution of the J&K problem have been given in a 294-page document he wrote. The document is titled Achievable Nationhood and available on the Net.

Mr Sajjad Lone was apparently commenting on the high voter turnout in the first phase of elections in the state. It was thus clear that he was rubbishing the analysis that equated a high voter turnout with repudiation or marginalization of separatist politics.

A massive turn out of 63.75 per cent voters marked the first phase of the seven-phased Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Elections2008 that concluded on Tuesday.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer, J&K, Mr. B. R. Sharma, following is the percentage of votes polled in the 10 constituencies except Sonawari, Nobra and Zanskar constituencies where information from some polling stations is still awaited:

Gurez 74.10%

Bandipora 57.08%

Sonawari 46.05% (tentative)

Nobra 60.16% (tentative)

Leh 60.40%

Kargil 60.02%

Zanskar 60.19% (tentative)

Surankote 68.01%

Mendhar 73.05%

Poonch-Haveli 73.23%

State overall percentage 63.75%

In Mendhar constituency of the Poonch district, supporters of the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clashed with one another, leading to disruption of voting in one booth.

The polling party had to stop the voting as there were fisticuffs, jostling and then straight clashes between the two groups.
This also led to a situation where the police had to resort to lathicharge initially, and later open firing. The police personnel present on the spot fired several rounds in the air to stop the violence.

The bullets fired in the air had the desired effect in forcing the two groups to disengage and run away. Several members of the police party, including a local Station House Officer (SHO) and a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) were caught in the melee and spend several hours, virtually in captivity of the protesters.

The protesters also blocked the road leading to Mendhar town from Gursai. They have been demanding that a re-poll be held so that hundreds of voters who could not exercise their franchise due to clashes can do it in the re-polling.