AFP: Kashmir poll turnout 'a victory for democracy': Indian PM
SRINAGAR (AFP) — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the higher than expected turnout in elections in disputed Kashmir a "vote for democracy" Sunday, as results showed no one party dominated the polls.
Despite a boycott call by separatists and armed rebels, more than 60 percent of voters participated in the multi-stage elections which came after a period of direct rule from New Delhi.
"The large turnout is a vote for democracy. It is a vote for national integration. Therefore, we are all happy," Singh told reporters in New Delhi.
The elections had to be held in seven stages to ensure security in the Himalayan region, where at least 47,000 people have been killed in violence linked to a long-running Muslim insurgency against Indian rule
Sunday, December 28, 2008
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