Srinagar: Tehreek e Hurriyat chairperson Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai has said that elections have no value in Kashmir, instead the only way out is accepting the basic problem and addressing it head on.

“Right of self-determination is the most democratic and simple way to resolve it,” Sehrai said in a statement.

He said it is an exercise in futility, as the essence of this process lies first in the establishment of democratic principles and institutions.

“Neither are any democratic principles followed in Jammu and Kashmir nor have any democratic institutions been allowed to flourish, instead the reverse has taken place by the use of extreme arbitrary force and authoritarianism,” he said.

He said that “any electoral process in such a place becomes a mere eyewash and a means to propagate to outsiders that things are under control and getting “normal” and as an endorsement of Government of India’s rule.

Sehrai said that the basic issue of resolution of the Kashmir dispute is today more alive, more urgent and more dangerous than ever.

“The fourth generation of Kashmiri’s born and raised under severe occupation are so desperate to end it even at the cost of sacrificing their lives,” he said.

Sehrai condemned the arrest of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat leaders Mir Hafizullah, Ashraf Laya, Syed Imtiyaz Haider and dozens of activists and pressed for their immediate release.