NVI Special Correspondent
Srinagar, Sep 20 (NVI): For Mymoona, a committed voter in Kakapora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district was one among many voters, who would cast votes early morning and then soon after use the ink removal chemical to the sign of voting. A group of people would always look for those who cast votes and reprimand them, some were even ruthlessly beaten as well.
Mymoona was not alone to remove the vote-ink from her fore finger after casting vote, there were scores of women in her neighbour hood who would follow suit. This was done out of fear of those who believed “voting was a sin.” On September 18, the fear was invisible on the face of Mymoona, 62. Will you remove the ink again, she was asked by a reporter.
And her reply astonished everyone present in the premises of the polling station. “No need this time. Times have changed, ideologies have changed, and the ground realities have changed. Now those who believed in boycott politics, can be seen waiting for their turn in the serpentine queues,” she said, wearing a gentle smile. She didn’t hesitate to display the vote sign (inked finger) before the media men even though she and her neighbourhood friends were clad in burka (veil).
Pulwama has been a hot bed of militancy till 2016, the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen poster boy Burhan Wani who fuelled new age militancy in Kashmir. Even after 2016, the district witnessed encounters between security forces and militants, but the sounds of bullets and guns gradually faded away with the passage of time. Stone pelting, for which the district was in headlines of newspapers for years together, also faded and youth started chasing their dreams. There are many start-ups in the district today. The district has been praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi many times in his “Man ki baat” program for being the best pencil producing district in the country. Today, there are scores of start-ups as well.
Like Mymoona, many youth who would also clean off the vote ink, found no hesitation in posing for a photograph. “Whatever we have to achieve, we have to achieve through votes now. We can’t pick up guns and stones again. If we do that, we will get killed. So voting is the best alternative to get what we desire. As far as the Kashmir issue, let the big leaders discuss it,” said Adil Yousuf, who cast his vote for the first time. Adil, 24, said vote power has to be used to get what you desire. To a query, was there any fear of keeping the vote ink on his forefinger, he said: “When those who would call for boycott are roaming around with inked fingers, why should I remove it? There is none to ask me why I have voted,” Adil beamed. (News Vibes of India)
