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Farooq for allowing voters without IDs to cast ballot

The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has said that voters whose names figure in the electoral rolls must be given the right to cast their votes, even if they don't have photo identity cards.

"The process (of issuing the photo IDs) has been started now when the election is on the head," Abdullah said addressing public meetings in Noushera and Sunderbani in Rajouri district and added that all those whose names figure in the voters list should be given the opportunity to vote.

Maintaining that he had requested the Election Commission to start issuing photo IDs five years ago, Abdullah alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner had at the time expressed inability to start the exercise citing shortage of funds. Asserting that the assembly election would be held on time, he ruled out the possibility of governor's rule in the state ahead of the polls.

"Only those who see their defeat on the wall raise such demands," Abdullah said. He also urged the voters to get acquainted with the Electronic Voting Machines so that they can exercise their right without any difficulty.

The J&K chief minister also asked to the people to exercise their mandate in large numbers to thwart Pakistan's 'sinister' design to disrupt the poll.

"Pakistan will employ all tactics to create fear psychosis and the people should keep guard against it," Abdullah said.

The chief minister said in the event of low voter turnover, Pakistan will cry hoarse that Jammu and Kashmir is not a part of India.

High turnout of voters in the poll would show the world that 'we are a part of India', he added.

He alleged that Islamabad was still continuing cross-border terrorism, border shelling and pushing in ultras to target innocent civilians in the state.

"Islamabad wants the world to believe that people of the state are not interested in electoral process. They have attempted coercive tactics in the past by issuing threats and pasting posters on the mosques to keep electors away from the booths and they might stoop to lowest depths in furtherance of their nefarious agenda in future also," Abdullah said.

Abdullah also decried the demand for trifurcation of the state on communal lines and said this will strengthen those who believed in Jinnah's two-nation theory.

Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2002: The complete coverage

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