November 17, 2008	Monday	Ziqa'ad 18, 1429

SRINAGAR, Nov 16: Voting begins on Monday in parts of occupied Kashmir amid boycott calls by pro-independence leaders who say the elections will only strengthen New Delhi’s hold on the disputed region.

The elections come after large protests against India in the valley and a crackdown on leaders who oppose the polls.

“You can’t have free and fair elections in the presence of hundreds of thousands of occupation forces,” said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of the APHC who has been under house arrest for three days.

More than 30 leaders have been detained under a law that allows police to hold people for up to two years without trial.

They were held for advocating “secession, breach of peace and intimidating people not to vote,” said B. Srinivas, a senior police officer. “We’ll not allow anybody to campaign against the elections,” he said.

The boycott was expected to be widely supported, particularly following the recent demonstrations, the largest pro-independence protests across occupied Kashmir in two decades.—AP