MQM to take part in AJK elections

[Jay]

ISLAMABAD, June 10: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Saturday announced that the party would fully participate in next month’s elections for the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly and issued the list of its candidates in 26 out of 41 constituencies.

This was announced by parliamentary leader of the MQM in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar, Federal Minister for Housing and Works Syed Safwanullah and MNAs Kunwar Khalid Yunus and Abid Ali Umang at a news conference.

Mr Sattar said the MQM was becoming a national-level party and, therefore, it had decided to take part in the elections in Azad Kashmir for the first time.”It will be for the first time, the MQM candidates will contest elections in Azad Kashmir on the symbol of kite,” Dr Sattar said.

The MQM leader said the October 8 earthquake had exposed the real face of the religious parties, which had been deceiving the people of Azad Kashmir in the name of service to humanity. He said it was MQM chief Altaf Hussain who launched relief efforts in the earthquake-hit areas by donating Rs5 million in the President’s Relief Fund.

He said the MQM provided relief goods and aid worth Rs3.5 billion to the earthquake-affected persons.

He said the MQM ministers, advisers, MNAs, MPAs and senators took part in the relief activities with the party workers and activists.

He said victory or defeat was not the purpose of taking part in July 11 elections. Following are the names of MQM candidates:

Mohammad Imran Sheikh (LA-3); Abdul Majeed Janjua (LA-4); Mian Zubair (LA-5); Fazlur Rehman (LA-6); Mohammad Afzal (LA-7); Mohammad Iqbal Farooqi (LA-8); Sardar M. Tasnim Khan (LA-9); Mussadiq Naeem Arshad (LA-10); Mohammad Asim Janjua (LA-11); Nisar Ali Mughal (LA-12); Mohammad Farooq Khan (LA-13); Syed Majid Hussain Shah (LA-16); Mohammad Akram Khan (LA-18); Dr Mohammad Irfan Kiani (LA-19); Shah Wali Awan (LA-23); Chaudhry Mazhar Rehman (LA-24); Fida Mohammad Rathore (LA-26); Dr Ziafat Kazmi (LA-27); Mohammad Altaf Awan (LA-28); Naseer Awan (LA-29); Mohammad Tahir Khokhar (LA-30); Raja Imtiaz (LA-31); Mohammad Arif Hafeez (LA-34); Dr Hafizur Rehman (LA-35); Farooq Ahmed Lone (LA-40) and Khawaja Bashir Ahmed (LA-41).

http://dawn.com/2006/06/11/nat2.htm

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Thats right folks, Pakistan is working hard for Kashmiri freedom, while it already annexed the Azad Kashmir in to Pakistan. One more proof for that!

Now they expect India to hand over the rest of Kashmir so that they can control the headwaters of Indus. Peace, my foot!

[platinum786]

the MQM is a political party, why can't they participate int he Kashmir elections? India has communists party operating in it freely, does that mean that your controlled from moscow or Beijing? Absolutely not.

[Tronic]

no one said they couldn't participate in the POK elections... but we all know even before hand which party's gonna win... need I say more?

[platinum786]

I very much doubt anyone knows who will win in AJK.

We have 5 parties contesting this election compared to the usual 2, I know who's winning in my constituency. ;) Call it neighbourly love.

[Jay]

the MQM is a political party, why can't they participate int he Kashmir elections? India has communists party operating in it freely, does that mean that your controlled from moscow or Beijing? Absolutely not.

I guess you have a habit of not reading the posts fully. Didnt you guys say that Azad Kashmir is azad from Pakistan? Now, why are you allowing a Pakistani party to contest in Azad Kashmir? Is it a Pakistani province now? ;)

[Tronic]

heh... yea... I didn't catch that part...

[platinum786]

Jay obviously you cannot understand English. Having a political party corss borders does not mean that sovereignty is compromised. I gave you the example of the communist party in India not compromising your soverignty to a soviet State.

Besides I wish Kashmir was a part of Pakistan, we'd be much better off that way.

[Jay]

Jay obviously you cannot understand English. Having a political party corss borders does not mean that sovereignty is compromised.

WTH!! I havent seen a political party competing in 2 different sovreign nations.

I gave you the example of the communist party in India not compromising your soverignty to a soviet State.

Apples and oranges. If you open your eyes and read, its called CPI, communist party of India. So why talk about Soviets here? They didnt register their party in USSR and compete elections in India.

Besides I wish Kashmir was a part of Pakistan, we'd be much better off that way.

I wish Martians to take over Pakistan occupied Kashmir, but ofcourse its just my wish.

[Jay]

We have no role in PoK polls: Pakistan

Nirupama Subramanian

``Elections were determined by its constitution''

# Nominations of 30 candidates of JKLF rejected
# Region's constitution includes requirement to sign accession declaration

ISLAMABAD : Pakistan said on Tuesday that it played no role in the rejection of nominations of pro-independence candidates for elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as the region's elections were determined by its own constitution.

But the Pakistan-based Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Amanullah Khan), whose candidates were rejected by the PoK Election Commission for their refusal to sign a declaration affirming the State's accession to Pakistan, described the region's constitution as a "rubber-stamp document" that had been presented as a fait accompli to the Kashmiris by the Pakistan Government.

Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said Kashmiri leaders who drafted the region's constitution had included the requirement for candidates to sign the accession declaration at the time of nomination.

"Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections are governed by the constitution of AJK. The elections are not controlled by Pakistan. If there's a column on accession [in the nomination papers], it is in the AJK constitution, not in the Pakistan Constitution. The AJK constitution has been drafted by their own leaders," Ms. Aslam said.

Sardar Saghir Khan, general secretary of the Pakistan-based JKLF, said this was a "misrepresentation." The constitution had been vetted by the Pakistan Government and presented to the "so-called leaders and so-called elected representatives of Kashmir for their rubber-stamp", he contended.

Mr. Khan said the preamble to the Constitution mentioned that the document was `approved" by the government of Pakistan, which had "authorised" the government of Azad Kashmir to introduce it to the legislature for its approval.

The elections are to be held on July 11. Nominations of 30 out of 31 candidates of the pro-independence JKLF were rejected after they refused to sign a declaration of Kashmir's accession to Pakistan. The JKLF said it was trying to establish if the one candidate whose nomination had passed scrutiny had signed the declaration.

The PoK Election Commission also rejected 30 nominations of the All Party National Alliance, a coalition of other pro-independence parties of Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

"We are going to observe election day as a black day," said APNA chairman Sardar Muhammed Sabir Kashmiri.

The rejection of nominations of pro-independence candidates is a routine in every PoK election. Each time, the JKLF and other pro-independence parties use the opportunity to reiterate their commitment to the "third" option of independence.

The Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday that the rejection showed the people in the region "did not have the freedom to vote for political parties and candidates of their choice".

"It also exposes the insincerity of Pakistan's proclaimed policy that the future of Jammu and Kashmir should be decided by its people. This disqualification is particularly glaring in the light of the proposal made by President Musharraf of introducing self-governance in Jammu and Kashmir," the MEA spokesman said.

Both JKLF and APNA said they welcomed the Indian interest as "India is a party to the dispute," but said both India and Pakistan were "bullying Kashmiris" and "not allowing us to decide our fate."

The alliance also observed a token hunger strike on Tuesday in protest against the alleged detention by Pakistani authorities of one of their leaders, Sardar Rauf Kahsmiri.

APNA office-bearers said they had not been able to contact Mr. Kashmiri, who heads his own faction of the JKLF, since his "arrest" immediately on arrival in Pakistan on May 17 after a 15-year-imprisonment in India.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/14/stor...1405901500.htm

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Self-determination, is it under my left or right foot?