New Delhi: The international community has acknowledged India's efforts to hold free and fair elections in the first three phases of polling in Jammu and Kashmir, government sources said on October 7 night.

US Ambassador Robert Blackwill and several other foreign diplomats have conveyed to Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and other government functionaries their appreciation of the poll process, despite violence sponsored from across the border, they said.

Maintaining that the percentage of voter turnout in certain areas of the state was lower this time as compared to that in 1996, they said the Centre put its foot down to ensure there was no coercion to vote and even rejected requests from certain quarters to allow the security forces to take voters to polling booths.

There have been reports that security forces had carried some people to polling stations in 1996, they said, adding strict instructions were given to the Army and other security agencies not to interfere in the poll process this time.

140 civilians and 88 security personnel have been killed during the first three phases of elections. This included 84 political workers as against 75 such workers being killed during polls in 1996.

PTI