Kupwara’s sole KP family votes for ‘change’
Mir TariqKupwara: The only Pandit Kashmiri family residing in Kupwara casted vote here on Sunday for redressal of their problems and for helping the return of displaced Kashmiri Pandit families to Kashmir.Sandeep Kumar, 32, is one of the nine members of the family. "It is my first vote and I am looking for change," Kumar said.Kumar took his whole family along to Boys Higher Secondary, Kupwara for casting their vote.In the queue along with other residents, Virender Kumar, student of 12th standard said, "We are following our Muslim brothers. We need good governance which our Muslim brothers also ask for."Commenting on the boycott call given by separatists, another family member, Sunny (24) said, "Everything has its importance and hence every political stand has its consequences. We are with development and prosperity and not against anybody."Commenting on the political stand of migrant Pandits, Kumar said, "Kashmiri migrant Pandits are following different politics. In Kashmir, we are under the influence of politics prevailing in this region.”On the recent unrest in the valley following the Amarnath land transfer controversy and the subsequent anti-election call, the Pandits voters said, "Everything in Kashmir is not long lasting. What we are noticing here today may not be there tomorrow."
NC, PDP workers clash again

Mir Tariq 29 NovDevar Lolab (Kupwara)Voting remained suspended for an hour at a polling booth in Devar, Lolab when the National Conference (NC) candidate for the constituency, Qaiser Jamsheed Lone was allegedly attacked by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) workers on Sunday during the third phase of assembly elections.
Three political workers were also injured in the incident They include: Manzoor Ahmed and Mushtaq Ahmed of NC, supervisory agent of Panthers Party, Showket Ahmed.Alleging police of assisting PDP workers, Lone told Rising Kashmir, "PDP workers tried to take me and other fellow NC workers hostage and also attempted to capture poling stations in Devar. They also damaged my car.”"They are being assisted by the police who instead of maintaining law and order situation harass NC workers inside poling stations" Lone added.PDP representative, Abdul Haq Khan denied the NC allegations."I am the local resident and people were coming out in huge numbers to cast their votes in my favour. Fearing high voter turnout in my favour, Lone tried to disrupt the brisk polling," he said.An eyewitness, Ghulam Hassan said, "Lone entered the poling booth where a women was about to cast her vote. He was guiding her to vote in his favour which annoyed the nearby agents of other parties. They thrashed Lone out of the booth.""Later NC workers started raising slogans and cursing workers of opposition party after which police intervened and pacified the workers," he added.Police resorted to aerial firing to disperse the voters who were seen cursing each other.Some people also alleged that Lone’s security guards opened fire creating disturbance in the area.