Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday voted in the second phase of assembly elections and the polling process was observed by foreign diplomats who hailed it for being “very democratic and healthy.”
The Ministry of External Affairs invited a delegation of diplomats from 16 countries including the US, Norway and Singapore to observe the assembly elections in the region which are taking place after 10 years.
The US deputy Chief of the Mission in Delhi Jorgan K Andrews said the voting process looked healthy and democratic.
“It is great to see the enthusiasm; it’s great to see Kashmiris out voting after a pause for 10 years. We are very excited to see the results. It looks very healthy and very democratic,” Andrews told PTI Videos at a polling station here.
He added that the polling process that he witnessed in J&K is very similar to how it happens in US.
The delegation comprised diplomats from Delhi-based missions of the US, Mexico, Guyana, South Korea, Somalia, Panama, Singapore, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, Norway, Tanzania, Rwanda, Algeria and the Philippines, people familiar with the matter said.
Meanwhile, South Korean diplomat Sang Woo was fascinated by the existence of the Pink polling station, a campaign by the Election Commission of India where certain polling booths are operated by an all-female staff.
“It is my first time here in Kashmir. I am happy to be here as a part of the MEA delegation. I see it is a beautiful place and people are very nice. It is special to witness how democracy works. This idea of a pink polling station is very ingenuous. It is a great way to attract more people to come to vote,” Lim added.
Singapore deputy head of the mission in Delhi Cheng Wei Wei Alice said it was wonderful to be part of the delegation observing the polls here.
“I am glad that all the voters showed up. That’s wonderful to see. The process is very similar to how we conduct elections in Singapore. We use government buildings for polling stations so that it is easily accessible to voters,” she said.
‘Don’t need their certificates’
Slamming the central government for inviting foreign diplomats to observe J&K’s election, National Conference’s Omar Abdullah said that polls are an internal matter of India and that “we do not need their certificates.”
“I don’t know why foreigners should be asked to check elections here,” the NC vice president told reporters here. “When foreign governments comment, then the Government of India says ’this is an internal matter for India’ and now suddenly they want foreign observers to come and look at our elections.” This “guided tour” is not a good thing, he said, alleging the Centre wants to take credit for the people’s participation in these polls “which is a betrayal with the people here”.
With inputs from PTI
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Foreign diplomats invited to observe polling process find J&K elections ‘very democratic’
