"The party is pained to announce that it has decided to boycott the Parliamentary by-elections to Srinagar and Anantnag constituencies, scheduled to take place on April 9 and 12 respectively, as the state government has withdrawn the security cover to senior office bearers in the Valley," Chief patron of NPP Bhim Singh told reporters here.
He claimed that the security cover which was provided to senior leaders including State Vice president Syed Masood Indrabi, State General Secretary Manzoor Ahmad Naik and Provincial president Farooq Ahmad Dar was taken away by the PDP-BJP government.
However, he decided to boycott the elections in the "interest of the security of NPP leaders and their supporters," Bhim Singh said.
He said Provincial president Mohammad Ramzan Bangay was killed in 1996 inside MLA hostel prior to the 1996 Assembly elections.
Also Read
Another leader, district president Anantnag Nissar Ahmad Najar, was also killed in Anantnag in the same year but the "culprits have not been identified till date".
Questioning the timing of the by-polls, Singh claimed that there are more than 60 per cent voters of Kashmir who have migrated to the neighbouring states for work as "labourers" because of winter.
The NPP chief said he had brought this matter to the notice of Election Commission which had "assured to consider the situation".
(REOPENS @ NRG 7)
Meanwhile, Awami Ittihaad Party (AIP) headed by MLA Engineer Rashid also announced boycott of the upcoming bypolls, saying "there is a huge trust deficit between the mainstream parties and the people, who have been the worst victim of state terrorism".
Announcing the party's decision, he said the events of last eight months have proven that the elected representatives of both ruling and opposition parties have failed to make any impact on both "civil and police administration and whatsoever the security agencies have deemed proper for their interests, they have ruthlessly implemented it".
The AIP leader said his party strongly believes that Jammu and Kashmir is a "disputed territory" and New Delhi is not "sincere in resolving the issue".
However, he said contesting elections or boycotting them carries "no significance".
"Participating in these elections or boycotting or non-participation does not make anybody or organisation pro-movement, anti-movement, anti-national or anti-India, as elections have been held in the past and undoubtedly they will be held till Kashmir issue is resolved," he added.