Disempowered but not discouraged, Kashmiris vote in record numbers
Kashaf ul Khair returned to her native village in Pulwama district of India’s Kashmir region May 13 to cast her vote in India’s national elections – a first, for the young doctor.
“We need voices that can speak for our rights, for our identity,” she says. “I believe even one vote makes a difference.”
Jammu and Kashmir – a disputed, majority-Muslim territory that’s long grappled with anti-India protests and armed militancy – is represented by five members in India’s 543-seat parliament. In 2019, voters elected three members from regional parties and two from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
