Srinagar: The alliance of key separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik on Thursday called for a boycott of upcoming panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the exercise were “meant to harm the national interests of Kashmiri people.”

Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had earlier this week announced holding of the long overdue Panchayat elections in the state from February 15, 2018. She hoped that the people “will choose ballots over bullets during these elections.”

The separatist leaders’ alliance called “Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL),” however, appealed the people to boycott the “election drama announced by so-called rulers who want to enact it to negate the Kashmiris demand for right to self-determination.”

A statement issued by it here said, “Any sort of election under Indian occupational system, be it for so-called Assembly, parliament, municipal committee or panchayat is meant only to harm the national interests of Kashmiris”. It added, “We cannot vote and hence strengthen the hands of those tyrants who separated innocent kids Maryam and Azra from their mothers and are forcing us to bury mutilated bodies of our kith and kin.” It also said, “As a living nation, it is our responsibility to safeguard sacrifices rendered by our martyrs and never forget these sacrifices.” It asked, “How can we vote for those so-called rulers and their parties which are hell bent on installing RSS fascism.”