POK's EC rejects nominations of 72 Pro-independence candidates

Islamabad, Jun 12 (UNI) The Election Commission of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has rejected nomination papers of 72 pro-independence Liberation front and Nationalist All Party National Alliance (APNA) candidates as they refused to sign declaration of ''state's accession to Pakistan''.

While the nominations of 33 JKLF candidates were rejected a few days back, papers of the APNA nominees were rejected on Saturday, Mr Mumtaz Khan, Vice President of the International Kashmir Alliance (IKA) said.

''This is not only undemocratic and unconstitutional but also immoral when the future of the state is yet to be determined and Pakistan ostensibly claims to be the champion of the Kashmiri's right to self-determination,'' he said.

Earlier, the JKLF candidates said that since they espoused the cause of independence for the whole of Jammu and Kashmir, they cannot declare Jammu and Kashmir state's allegiance with Pakistan. Mr Zahoor Ahmed Butt of the JKLF was also barred from contesting the elections on the same plea.

Under the PoK law, it is obligatory for the candidates to swear allegiance to the ideology of the accession of the entire state to Pakistan.

Mr Mumtaz Khan said the people of the PoK were never given choice to elect their own candidates. ''The enactment of such discriminatory laws were primarily aimed at restraining the people to exercise their franchise in a free and fair atmospher.'' The IKA has taken up this issue with the UN Human Rights High Commission and also apprised European Parliament and US State Department.

UNI/XC/SMA AT HT1830