Thursday, July 13 2006 11:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: India today (July 13, 2006) ridiculed the elections held in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) saying they lacked 'credibility' as pro-independence political parties were not allowed to contest and international observers not allowed to monitor the polls. New Delhi said the situation in Gilgit-Baltistan, the other part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir controlled directly by Islamabad, is even worse as its residents do not enjoy the basic political right to vote.

"Once again the entire exercise shows the lack of credibility of the electoral process in the so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters here commenting on the polls held yesterday.

"These (PoK) elections can neither be called free and fair nor an exercise in self-governance" as besides disqualifying all the pro-independence political parties Pakistan did not allow international observers to monitor the election process, Sarna said.

Pakistan had rejected nominations of 30 out of 31 candidates of the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Amanullah Khan) after they refused to sign the declaration of Kashmir's accession to Pakistan.

The Election Commission of the PoK also rejected 30 nominations of the All Party National Alliance (APNA), a coalition of other pro-independence parties of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan.