For more than seven decades, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have endured one of the longest and bloodiest struggles for self-determination in modern history. Despite the Indian government’s persistent efforts to project a facade of normalcy, the Kashmiris remain resolute in their quest for freedom. India’s staged elections, veiled in the language of democracy, are not only farcical but transparently manipulative. Do these elections, held under heavy militarisation and political gerrymandering, truly represent the will of the Kashmiri people? Or are they merely an attempt to mask the brutal reality of occupation? As turnout numbers plummet and disillusionment deepens, one must ask: who is India trying to convince with this charade – the world, or itself?

The recent elections in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) mark yet another chapter in India’s long-standing narrative of denial. Touted as a “festival of democracy,” these elections were anything but. Under the shadow of a million-strong military presence, with fortified polling stations and an atmosphere of fear, can this be called a democratic process? Or is it, as many Kashmiris view it, a mere puppet show to maintain the status quo of domination? As voter turnout plunged from 52.14% in 2014 to a mere 22.33% in key areas in 2024, it’s clear that the people of Kashmir are not deceived. Their boycott speaks louder than any ballot ever could.

Is this decline in participation merely apathy, or is it a powerful act of defiance – a refusal to legitimise a system that will never truly........

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