Terrorists in Kashmir have voting rights?

Several Pakistani terrorists operating in Kashmir valley have managed to procure electoral photo-identity cards, prompting the authorities to take a decision to re-verify all such documents before the next assembly polls in the state later this year.

"We are left with no alternative but to re-verify all the electoral photo I-cards issued so far as police have seized such cards from Pakistani terrorists killed in encounters in Kupwara district recently," District Development Commissioner of Kupwara, Kachoo Isfandyar Khan, said on Sunday.

One such card showed Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist Abu Tufail, a Pakistani national, under a different name and as a resident of north Kashmir. Tufail was killed in a gun battle with police in February this year.

"In subsequent two to three other operations, we found slain foreign terrorists carrying genuine election cards issued by the local authorities. It is definitely a serious concern for the security agencies," Handwara Superintendent of Police Haseeb Mughal said.

"We have already passed directions to our units and the sister agencies that they will have to be extra careful now," the SP said.

Khan said there is a possibility that more such cases may come to light in future.

"May be there are many more such cases. Only time will tell. But one thing is certain, we will re-verify all identity cards before the next elections," Khan said.