Daily Times

There was a time I craved the right to vote, to choose my destiny. Today, I am told I have the right to vote in elections both for the state legislature and the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament. All I have to do is register as an Indian. I refuse to vote, ironically, to claim my destiny. How did this come about?

Democracy, we are told is a battleground of ideas. In my part of the word, however, we have a sham democracy, which is a ruse for tyranny. My country has been annexed with the force of arms and turned into world’s most beautiful garrison. Its people are denied their freedom and the occupation forces exploit its charms. They have been trying to persuade us with sweet talk. We are told voting in Indian elections will make us equal citizens, bring us at par with the occupiers, make us dignified. We are told it is our right and it ours for the taking.

I vividly remember this episode two years ago. I was visiting Goripora Bomai, my native village in Sopore. I was on my way home from the village mosque after saying the sunset prayes when I heard a low pitched voice. It took me a while to realize that somebody was calling me from behind. I turned round to find a teacher from the government school in my locality. He had a very aggressive tone. “Who do you think you are?” he asked. I was at a loss as to how I had upset him and said so. “Why don’t you submit your photos for voter registeration,” he asked angrily. I told him I did not see the need to register, as I was determined not to cast vote in Indian elections. He said the registeration was not for voting alone, “you will need it elsewhere, too”. In the end, I agreed to submit to registration.

From a tender age, I have been convinced that I should not cast a ballot in Indian elections. I was too young during the previous elections, both for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha, to be eligible for it. This time, however, I can be a first-time voter. India is choosing its next central government. Unionists in Kashmir valley are seen drifting towards separatism. As a Kashmiri, I have to decide whether it is right for me to vote. If yes, who should I vote for?

As a young adult, I hope for the day when I am free to vote in an election to pick a government for my country. I don’t reject electoral politics. I am abstaining on account of the history of my land. An election can be a beautiful thing, only not in my homeland right now

I know that the maps in geography books can lie but topography and cultural geography do not. Kashmir is not India. It is not Pakistan either, or China. It is a country which shares boundaries with these countries. It is distinctively Kashmir, and its people are Kashmiris, irrespctive of their religion or ethnicity. Our protest is anwered with bullets. They expect the bullets to silence us, to force us to surrender. They hope to keep us captive, in a country, we do not recognize as out homeland. If I choose to cast ballot, I shall be seen to have agreed to their narrative.

If I vote, I believe, I shall be stamping the charter of my own oppression. If I vote, I will be legitimizing the presence of Indian security forces in my homeland and their actions. If I vote, I will be seen as ratifying Kashmir’s accession with the Indian Union, which I haven’t accepted. If I vote, I believe, I will be betraying my homeland. If I vote, I shall be refusing to own the 70 years of struggle for our right to self-determination. If I vote, I will be undermining the sacred cause of those who lost their lives in this struggle. If I vote, I will be somebody who has no real idea of a homeland.

The elections in Kashmir are meant to suppress our dreams. The history is witness that elections in Kashmir are a hoax to justify killings and torture. They say a high voter turnout in Kashmir is an endorsement of the Indian dominion. They have rigged elections in the past and claimed that the vote means that Kashmir is an integral part of India.

Who should I vote for? For those selling us the sweet nothings in the name of greater autonomy, self-rule and a healing touch? Should I vote for those, who pretend to be our well wishers while they are out of power and become the facilitators of tyranny once they can claim voters’ support? My grandfather voted three times, my father twice. Who did they vote for? They voted for none other than Syed Ali Shah Geelani, condemned as a separatist. In the end, Geelani gave up the so-called democratic fight. As a young adult, I hope for the day when I am free to vote in an election to pick a government for my country. I don’t reject electoral politics. I am abstaining on account of the history of my land. An election can be a beautiful thing, only not in my homeland right now.

The writer is a student at GMC Srinagar