The timing of the holding of assembly elections in five-phases in Jammu and Kashmir continues to invite criticism, given that people in the state are still struggling to come to terms with the devastation caused by floods in September.
Political parties, civil society and advocacy groups have repeatedly been saying that the elections could have been held after five or six months instead of in the wintry months of November and December. They said that both the state and Central Governments, besides the Election Commission, could have agreed to declare President's rule, rather than going ahead with the poll schedule in a calamity-ridden region.
The latest to join the poll critics' bandwagon is the advocacy group-Kashmir Centre for Social and Development Studies (KCSDS)-which today called for a more holistic approach to the socio-economic concerns of the people of the flood-hit state.
Addressing media in the capital today, KCSDS chairperson Professor Hameedah Nayeem demanded a high-level judicial probe into the reasons for the holding of elections at this time; to investigate the causes of the flood; the criminal negligence of warnings given in 2010 by flood control authorities, and to fix responsibility on those guilty on a priority basis.
She further stated that while nobody can predict or stop the vagaries of nature; the government, both at the state and central levels, could have plugged all loopholes in advance and taken necessary measures to lessen the impact of the flash floods.
Nayeem said that the probe must be completed in a time-bound manner of three months.
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She said that looking at the magnitude of the losses incurred in 20 of the state's 22 districts, the state and central governments would do well to seek international aid and assistance to restore normalcy at the earliest.
"The magnitude of the challenge to reconstruct Kashmir demands multilateral and multi-pronged steps, including a liberal financial package, policy interventions, debt waivers and soft loans," she said in a statement.
"Given that the capital of the business community has got eroded, and the property of the salaried classes is devastated, the Jammu and Kashmir state should be declared a free economic zone with a tax holiday of about 20 years," she further stated.
Nayeem said that the Centre should approach multilateral institutions like the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for disaster risk management loans in different modes.
Dr. Javed Iqbal, a physician and a columnist associated with the KCSDS maintained that "There is a state of abnormalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, and the government in the state and at the centre is projecting a state of imposed normalcy to facilitate the holding of elections for political gain."
When asked whether KCSDS had petitioned the Election Commission not to hold the polls at this time, as it is the constitutionally appointed body to be approached, the KCSDS representatives replied in the negative.
They, however, maintained that holding elections at this time would send wrong signals to the people of the state.
Apart from Ms. Nayeem and Dr. Iqbal, Dr. Mubir Shah and Mr. Shakeel Qalandar were present to address queries from the media.