MUZAFFARABAD, Sept 10: A Kashmiri group said on Tuesday it would continue killing supporters of a “sham” election starting on Monday in the held state.

“We not only stand by our announcement to disrupt the mock polls, but we are vigorously implementing it,” said Abdur Rafia, a senior leader of the Jamiatul Mujahideen.

Rafia said his group had killed and would continue to kill all those taking part in or willingly supporting the “sham exercise”.

“We have killed around 25 activists, including candidates, of the National Conference (the ruling party in occupied Kashmir) in the past three months. All of them were active in electioneering,” Rafia said.

“These people want to keep up and strengthen India’s rule in Kashmir. Whosoever, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, Kashmiri or non-Kashmiri, strengthens India’s illegal occupation will be our target, just like the Indian soldiers,” he said.

Rafia said the killings are permissible in jihad.

“There is no harm in killing those who want India’s system or constitution in (held) Kashmir.”

Rafia said those supporting the elections or taking part were “a handful of people” who he said “publicly accept the slavery of India, submit nomination papers and run election campaign”.

Tehreekul Mujahideen, another Kashmiri group, said it would do whatever it could to foil the election drama, but would not target voters.

Its leader, Sheikh Jameelur Rehman, said his group did not aim to kill civilians to keep them away from polling stations.

“We are of the firm opinion that no Kashmiri will take part in the polls willingly. If anyone showed up at the polling stations, he would have been driven there at gunpoint by the task force or the renegades,” he said.

However, candidates were seen as legitimate targets.

“We regard them as treacherous. Their crime is not less than those who have forcibly occupied our land. They are the real culprits and we will target them,” Rehman said.

The dominant militant group, Hizbul Mujahideen, which also heads the 15-party Muttahida Jihad Council, said it did not feel any need to disrupt the polls because the people would do this themselves.

“The people of Kashmir, who are fighting Indian occupation at different levels, will completely boycott the polls by themselves,” said Hizb spokesman Salim Hashmi.

Hashmi said his group had never killed civilians.

“We are not killing even those who are taking part in the elections, although we believe they are committing treachery and betrayal with the blood of the martyrs.”—AFP