Election Commission of India says it has received letters in which apprehensions are expressed about a possibility of using black and hawala money in J&K during ensuing elections. Naturally, the ECI has to react. We know that the rise of insurgency in the State in 1990 brought with it various evils with the purpose of sustaining militancy. Big money is crucial to sustaining insurgency. Common belief is that various anti-Indian agencies have been funding armed insurgency in Kashmir and many of these are based in foreign countries. Kashmiri Diaspora in Gulf and in western countries is reported to have been in the forefront of hawala operations for funding various groups of insurgents in Kashmir. Police and security forces have arrested some of their conduits at various places. Their interrogation has revealed that there is a big network of hawala conduits working clandestinely in and outside the country.
Secondly, it is also reported that there is large scale income tax evasion in the State. Disruption of law and order for many years in the State and imposition of the disturbed area rules helped many people to evade paying income tax and thus amassing black money. Kashmir valley in particular has seen sudden flow of huge monies from unknown sources and channels. Apart from that, fake currency has also been seized from various persons at various places in the State during past five years or more. This is the ground situation and the apprehensions that this huge source of illegal money maybe misused in the forthcoming Assembly elections. Even some political parties in J&K, too, have expressed their concern to the EC about the possibility of miscreants vitiating the fairness of elections by bribing the voters.
It has also to be reminded that our adversary across the border has been trying all possible means and methods to disrupt the elections in the State. They have raised voices on various international platforms alleging that the elections going to be held in Kashmir do not represent the real voice of the people. They fear that with elections successfully conducted and an elected popular Government installed in Srinagar, the militants and separatists will be faced with debacle and defeat of their designs. Therefore, they will do everything and anything to see to it that the elections fail at the last moment. Use of money power could be one of the means they would employ.
Taking due notice of the situation defined above, the Election Commission has taken stringent measures to ensure that no illegal money flows while elections are going to be held in the State. Consequently, fresh and comprehensive directions have been issued to the State Election Commission machinery to intensify vigil and sensibility so that not a single instance of use of black and hawala money is made. Apart from Election machinery, other departments like police and income tax and banks have been alerted to make sure that big money is not deposited or withdrawn from banks or transhipped clandestinely. Strict orders have been issued by the EC that in case an instance of use of black money is detected, immediate legal action should be taken against the culprits.
We highly appreciate the vision and decision of the EC in pre-empting any attempt of vitiating the atmosphere of a clean and fair election by use of money. In particular galvanizing the income tax authorities and desiring them to show extraordinary vigilance in stonewalling any attempt of misuse of money is very appreciable and hopefully the purpose will be served befittingly. We need to thwart all attempts of our adversary aimed at disrupting the election process. The electorate in the State is fully conscious of how the enemy is trying to deprive them of their right of franchise. Pakistan should understand that democracy has struck its roots deep in the State and nothing can derail it.
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