JKLF chief Yasin Malik arrested

SRINAGAR: A day after separatists asked voters to desist from participating in the bypolls to Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies, JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik was today arrested from his office here.

"A posse of policemen raided Abi Guzar office of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in the heart of Srinagar and arrested Malik to desist him from spearheading the poll boycott campaign," a JKLF spokesman said.

Activists of JKLF and a constituent of hardline Hurriyat Conference headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani had yesterday started a joint election boycott campaign by holding a protest rally here. They also visited various areas in Ganderbal and Budgam districts and distributed pamphlets, urging people to remain vigilant and boycott the upcoming elections.

The bypolls to Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies are slated for April 9 and April 12, respectively.

"Casting or boycotting vote is a democratic right of every human being but when election process is facilitated and pro-boycott people are terrorised, raided, arrested and put in jails, this process is reduced to a military operation," Malik had said in a statement yesterday.

Terming the participation in election process and voting as "disrespecting the sacrifices", the JKLF chief said the elections for assemblies and Parliament have been used to "hoodwink international opinion" on Kashmir.