Hundreds of voting stations were opened yesterday for a second stage of state elections in Indian Kashmir as thousands of troops provided tight security, officials said.
The voting comes amid heightened tensions after two young Muslims were shot dead by police during anti-India protests on Saturday in the town of Baramulla, 55 km north of summer capital Srinagar.
“All the 530 voting stations were thrown open at 8am in the six assembly segments going to the polls today,” said Kulbushan Jandial, head of the state information department.
He said security was tight at all the stations because they had been identified by security officials as “hyper-sensitive and sensitive” locations.
Muslim militants and separatist politicians have called for a boycott of the polls, arguing elections strengthen India’s hold over the region. However, the first round of voting last week saw more than 60 percent turnout.
Indian Kashmir was put under federal rule in July following the collapse of the state government over a land row that triggered a revival of anti-India demonstrations that left 50 Muslims dead in ensuing security force action.
The elections come at a time when anti-India sentiment runs deep in Muslim-majority Kashmir valley, where most people favour independence from mainly Hindu India or a merger with predominantly Muslim Pakistan. Voters at a polling booth in Ganderbal town, 25km northeast of Srinagar, said they wanted an end to the violence.
“Since July scores of Muslims have been mercilessly killed in firing incidents on peaceful demonstrations,” said Ghulam Qadir, 54.
“We will elect people who will not be cruel,” he said.
Overnight, angry protesters in Baramulla attacked Mehbooba Mufti, the head of the reformist pro-India People’s Democratic Party, a police officer said.
Mufti escaped unhurt.
IDENTITY: A sex extortion scandal involving Thai monks has deeply shaken public trust in the clergy, with 11 monks implicated in financial misconduct Reverence for the saffron-robed Buddhist monkhood is deeply woven into Thai society, but a sex extortion scandal has besmirched the clergy and left the devout questioning their faith. Thai police this week arrested a woman accused of bedding at least 11 monks in breach of their vows of celibacy, before blackmailing them with thousands of secretly taken photos of their trysts. The monks are said to have paid nearly US$12 million, funneled out of their monasteries, funded by donations from laypeople hoping to increase their merit and prospects for reincarnation. The scandal provoked outrage over hypocrisy in the monkhood, concern that their status
Trinidad and Tobago declared a new state of emergency on Friday after authorities accused a criminal network operating in prisons across the country of plotting to kill key government officials and attack public institutions. It is the second state of emergency to be declared in the twin-island republic in a matter of months. In December last year, authorities took similar action, citing concerns about gang violence. That state of emergency lasted until mid-April. Police said that smuggled cellphones enabled those involved in the plot to exchange encrypted messages. Months of intelligence gathering led investigators to believe the targets included senior police officers,
A disillusioned Japanese electorate feeling the economic pinch goes to the polls today, as a right-wing party promoting a “Japanese first” agenda gains popularity, with fears over foreigners becoming a major election issue. Birthed on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic, spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the Sanseito Party has widened its appeal ahead of today’s upper house vote — railing against immigration and dragging rhetoric that was once confined to Japan’s political fringes into the mainstream. Polls show the party might only secure 10 to 15 of the 125 seats up for grabs, but it is
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is to meet US President Donald Trump this week, hoping Manila’s status as a key Asian ally would secure a more favorable trade deal before the deadline on Friday next week. Marcos would be the first Southeast Asian leader to meet Trump in his second term. Trump has already struck trade deals with two of Manila’s regional partners, Vietnam and Indonesia, driving tough bargains in trade talks even with close allies that Washington needs to keep onside in its strategic rivalry with China. “I expect our discussions to focus on security and defense, of course, but also
RSS