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Polls not a substitute for plebiscite: Pak.

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD JULY 4 . Pakistan today maintained that an election in Jammu and Kashmir under the "Indian Constitution and the shadow of the barrel of Indian guns'' could not be a substitute for a free and fair plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations. It was not immediately clear what prompted the Pakistan Foreign Office to issue a statement on the subject since there has been no formal announcement of the election plan by New Delhi.

Of course, there has been a great deal of debate within the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, in the context of the visit of a U.S. Embassy delegation to the Valley last week and the conflicting and contradictory statements attributed to the Hurriyat leaders on the coming Assembly elections.

Two days ago, the United Jehadi Council, a conglomerate of Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir-based militant outfits operating in the Valley, issued a stern warning to the Hurriyat to stay clear of the proposed election, and said if any constituent of the Hurriyat contemplated participation in the process, it would face the wrath of the people in the Valley.

A statement said a Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, in response to a question on New Delhi's plans to hold elections in Kashmir, had recalled the Security Council Resolutions on the Kashmir dispute. He claimed that the Resolutions clearly stipulated that the "final disposition'' of the State of Jammu and Kashmir would be in accordance with the will of the Kashmiris expressed through a ``free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the U.N. auspices.''

The spokesman also referred to a recent statement by the Chief Election Commissioner in which he had said that no one would be compelled to vote and coercion would not be allowed to increase the voter turnout in the State.

"This statement, by implication, accepted the unwillingness of the Kashmiris to participate in the fraudulent elections in Indian-Occupied Kashmir.'' Claiming that it appeared as if the Indian Government intended to ``manipulate'' the elections, he said "to this end important members of the executive committee of the APHC have already been arrested under trumped-up charges.''

The statement said that as far as the participation in the elections to the Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir was concerned, the decision rested with the Hurriyat and the people of Kashmir. The Hurriyat had already announced its intention to boycott these "sham elections. The Government of Pakistan respects the decision of the APHC leadership.''

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