In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party President, Mehbooba Mufti, has said that the administration in North Kashmir Baramulla district has given verbal orders to its officials to register non-local labourers and Indian forces personnel as voters. According to Kashmir Media Service, Mehbooba Mufti statement comes a day after chief electoral officer (CEO) of IIOJK Hirdesh Kumar chaired an all-party meeting over the special summary revision of electoral rolls in Jammu. The PDP chief in a tweet said that according to reports, verbal orders were passed at a meeting in Baramulla on Monday by district Tehsildar to enroll non-local labourers, CISF (Central Industrial Security Force), CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), BSF Border Security Force) and army personnel as voters. The authorities must come clean on this, she said. Strong resentment is prevailing among the people in IIOJK over the summary revision of electoral rolls after the CEO last month announced that every citizen of India staying ordinarily in the territory can register as a voter and cast vote in the next assembly elections after abrogation of Article 370. He said nearly 25 lakh new voters are likely to be added to the electoral rolls during the summary revision exercise. Except BJP, almost all political parties hit out at the proposed move.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP