■ Malik Proposes Civil Society Group For Talks
■ No Dialogue With Delhi: Geelani
Srinagar, Nov 14: The Hurriyat Conference (M) Saturday rejected ‘quiet diplomacy’ and dialogue under Indian constitution to resolve the Kashmir issue while Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani, termed it useless. However,  Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Muhammad Yasin Malik called for constituting a group of 25 intellectuals who could engage New Delhi and Islamabad  on behalf of the separatist leadership and test its sincerity.

SHABIR SHAH REJECTS QUIET DIPLOMACY
 The senior Hurriyat (M) leader, Shabir Ahmed Shah, while speaking at a seminar, Global discourse on Kashmir, organized by the High Court Bar Association, rejected dialogue under Indian constitution and said no to “quiet diplomacy.” He said the Hurriyat had signed an agreement in 2008 and it would not go violate it.
 He however asked for evolving a common strategy to address the issue. He said pro-freedom leadership should sit together and evolve a common mechanism. He said civil society should come forward and ask India what it exactly wanted from the dialogue. He however said the credibility of leadership shouldn’t be questioned. He said Hurriyat (M) would abide by 2008 agreement and no one should have any doubt about it.
 Pertinently, Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram, in October this year announced that the Government of India was working on holding “quiet talks” with “every section of the society ” to find a “unique” solution to the problem of Jammu and Kashmir.
 Provincial President of Hurriyat Conference (M), Nayeem Khan, seconded Shah and disowned the recent statement of Professor Abdul Gani Bhat about conglomerate being ready to sit with the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party. “Hurriyat has not endorsed Prof Bhat’s statement and it should be construed as his own opinion and not of conglomerates,” he added.
 Earlier, GK Columnist Z G Muhammad in his speech described Professor Bhat’s statement as the stand of Hurriyat Conference (M). “Both the Peoples Democratic Party and the National Conference believe that the accession is irrevocable and if pro-freedom parties would sit with them they would be construed in conformity with the PDP and NC’s core ideology that is accession is irrevocable,” Z G Muhammad said. But Nayeem Khan said that individual statements and opinions shouldn’t be linked with the conglomerate. “If someone has stated something you should say it openly and you should name him instead of issuing generalized statements,” Khan said.
 Khan said the Hurriyat was not interested in power politics. But he insisted on chalking out of a joint strategy. He said 2008’s agitation was the massive mass movement and it shouldn’t be de-linked from the present movement. “There have been mistakes and we need sit together to rectify these,” he said.
 Reacting to Dr Altaf’s statement that the pro-freedom leadership should be locked in one room till they evolve consensus, Khan said “I am ready to walk by foot to that room. All of us should sit together and introspect,” he said.

DON’T CONDEMN DIALOGUE INSTITUTION: MALIK
 JKLF Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik opined that the Kashmiri intellectuals and the leadership shouldn’t condemn the institution of dialogue. Malik raised several questions and sought answers from the civil society and intellectuals. “They should answer whether Kashmiris can win this battle in isolation. Can we achieve our goal without the support of the international community?”
 Malik answered the questions himself and said time had come when Kashmiris should expose the soft face of India which projects itself as victim of terrorism before the world. “The Indian state,” Malik said, “Killed one lakh Kashmiris. Kashmiri intellectuals and leaders should tell the world that they are victims of Indian state.” He however said Kashmiris should look after their interests and suggested that they should stop bothering about conflicts like Iraq and Palestine and annoy their supporters at international level. “Time has come when Kashmiris should decide with whom they have to fight.”
 Referring to last year’s mass agitation against the transfer of land to Amarnath Shrine Board he said, “It gave us a moral edge over Indian state. The protests were peaceful, 62 people laid down their lives but we have scored a point over the Indian state,” he added.
 Without naming anyone, Malik said the PDP had won 16 seats from south Kashmir in 2008 Assembly elections and it lost a Parliament seat only two months after the Assembly elections. “The PDP won because pro-movement elements came out to cast their vote in the Assembly elections,” he said.
 He said those leaders who had termed the split in Hurriyat Conference as purification process joined Hurriyat Conference (M) just after some time.
 He said when the international community talks about taking aspirations of Kashmiris into consideration, Kashmiris should have a voice that can respond. He said the institution of dialogue shouldn’t be condemned. Malik said even if under pressure India was showing interest to hold dialogue, Kashmiri separatist leadership should evolve a strategy and respond.
 He said separatists shouldn’t hold direct talks with the Government of India. But, he said, they should form a group of 25 intellectuals who will talk with both India and Pakistan. He said if the intellectuals would feel that New Delhi was serious about the engagement then the separatist should join the fray.

DIALOGUE WITH NEW DELHI USELESS: GEELANI
 The Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani, said no dialogue should be held with New Delhi. He said Pakistan should be told that Kashmiris were not interested in any India-Pakistan talks on Kashmir. But, he said, it should continue its diplomatic, political support to Kashmir struggle.
 Geelani said he was for unified Jammu and Kashmir and interests of Jammu Muslims had to be safeguarded at any cost. “They have given 5 lakh people in 1947 and they have rendering sacrifices for the cause since then,” he said.
 Earlier Prof Zahoor-u-Din in his address cautioned Kashmiri leaders of creating divisions and stated that Jammu Muslims would be worst sufferers in that event.
 Responding to Malik,  Geelani said there was no need to bring in change in thinking. “The erosion in nations takes place once they separate religion and the politics,” he said. “Voicing concern over plight of Iraqis and Palestinians is obligatory for Muslims.”
 He said they were part of Muslim Ummah and Muslims should have no regret and fear in extending their support to them. “Struggle needs to continue and Kashmiris should fight to achieve the goal of Right to Self-Determination (RSD). We should not get disheartened and enter into the bilateral dialogue,” he added.
 He said he recently met some Indian civil society actors. They, Geelani said, revealed to him that support among Indian intellectuals about granting RSD to Kashmiris was growing.
 Islam, he said, continues to guiding force of struggle and we should talk about it during the struggle. “We shouldn’t shy away from talking about Islam fearing that non-Muslims might get annoyed. We should not postpone talking about Islam till we achieve freedom,” he said.
 He said Kashmiris were not against whole world but at the same they were not ready to compromise on its ideology at the altar of secularism.
 Soon after Geelani’s speech, Showkat Bakshi, JKLF leader gave a brief response amid the commotion. Bakshi said Geelani misinterpreted Malik’s speech. He said, Yasin Malik didn’t advocate anything un-Islamic. Malik too stood up and said his ideology of independent Kashmir shouldn't be challenged and described as Un-Islamic. The JKLF activists also took strong exception of Geelani's speech. However, Malik was taken to other side by lawyers in order to avoid commotion.
 Earlier, Jamat Islami Amir Sheikh Ghulam Hassan, noted human right activist Pervez Imroz, Dukhtarani Milat Chief Aasiya Andrabi, ML Amir Ala Mushtaq-ul-Islam, senior counsel Z.A Shah, JKLF ( R ) leader Javid Mir, advocate Amin Bhat, Z.A Qurashi, Bashir Sidque spoke on the occasion. Jamat Islami Amir called for tripartite talks, while Aasiya Andrabi rejected bilateral dialogue. Z.A Shah called for evolving a strategy to settle internal dimensions of the dispute while Mushtaq-ul-Islam rejected bilateral talks. Imroz said civil society should be vigilant about what the leaders are doing. “We know who is meeting whom and where and the civil society wouldn’t allow any sell out,” he said. He said NC and the PDP were involving mass crimes and they can’t be part of any solution. Nayeema Hamid said regional and sectional demands were being fuelled by the Government of India to stall the forward movement of Kashmiris. President of the HCBA Mian Abdul Qayoom presided over the seminar.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 IST