An Ambassador car stops at a JKLF activist's residence and Malik comes out through the front door, ready to move. Others have already left for the destination, taking another route. The cars are stopped at a security force check post but nobody recognises the frail Malik or his hefty companion Javid Mir, another JKLF leader. The cars finally reach the spot of the rally. It is the north Kashmir town of Bandipore.
Nobody there seems to have any inkling that the separatist leaders are to speak.
The leaders head for Jamia Masjid, the main mosque of the town, the day being Friday. By the time they are offering prayers, the news of their arrival spreads like wildfire among the villagers who have come from the adjoining areas to offer the Friday namaaz . The prayers over, a makeshift stage is erected and the leaders begin their speeches. The elections are a farce. After sacrificing thousands of lives, nobody can participate in this sellout.