Delimitation report a repeat of the past discrimination against Kashmir: PC

Srinagar May 05: The delimitation report is a repeat of the past. Same traditional entities are calling the shots behind the scenes. Kashmir has been discriminated against as in the past. No change. Only the degree of disempowerment is greater.

“Over the last six decades, Kashmir’s share of assembly seats in the J&K assembly increased from 43 to 47 while Jammu’s share rose from 30 to 43. Who is responsible for systematic disempowerment of Kashmiris from 1947? Those who aided and abetted in the journey from Jammu’s 30 to 37 are the ones who aided and abetted from 37 to 43”, the statement said.

The statement further said that the PC had hoped that Kashmiri parties stayed away and not diluted the stigma associated with a people-less process, which was essentially a tool for disempowerment of Kashmiris.

“Hope Kashmiris will now remember the parties who associated themselves with the delimitation process which was in essential a tool for disempowerment will always be in wonderment. How could a party which associated itself with the delimitation process be so audacious? They actually had the nerve of submitting one memorandum in Kashmir and a separate memorandum in Jammu. Ironically the memorandums were contradictory. The Jammu one seemed to have been copy pasted from the Hindutva brigade”, the statement added.

The statement maintained that the party will file an RTI and seek the video recordings of the meetings to expose how those who started beating their chests outside the meeting halls were bending their back backwards to appease and please the members of the delimitation commission.

“Financial scams indulged in —- during the last few decades cannot be squared off by covertly facilitating disempowerment of the Kashmiris. How stupid we were. We couldn’t see through the game plan. The raids. The EDs. It was all a game. A trade off. They had again bartered away the Kashmiris. The barterers are the same. When will this change. We are not saying that had they not participated there would have been no delimitation and that the process would have been stalled. But the process would not enjoy the sanctity that they enjoy now”, the statement concluded.(KNS)