Srinagar, Sept. 27 -- Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman and former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday welcomed the Election Commission of India's decision to hold long-pending Rajya Sabha elections from the Union Territory, saying the absence of J&K's voice in the Upper House for the last five years had pushed local concerns into silence at the national level.

"For five years, Jammu and Kashmir had no representation in the Rajya Sabha. As a result, our issues were not highlighted in Parliament," Azad said, while speaking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), calling the announcement "a necessary correction" and "a relief for the people who had gone unheard."

Azad underlined the distinction between Lok S...