New Delhi, Jan 11: A group of Kashmiri Pandits heckled the Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Muhammad Yasin Malik at the 3-day India-Pakistan peace conference here Monday.
 As soon as Malik stood up to deliver his address on the roadmap to resolve the Kashmir issue, a group of Pandit migrants stood up and shouted, “This terrorist shouldn’t be allowed to speak.”
 As the media watched, the dozen-odd protesters hurled abuses at Malik and accused him of raping and murdering a Pandit girl and escaping prosecution because of his political clout.
 Justice Rajnder Sachar and noted journalist Seema Mustafa made an impassionate appeal to the slogan shouting protestors to calm down but they did not relent.
 Amid the commotion, Malik denied the allegations. “I won’t wait for a court trial. Hang me right here if you prove that I have raped or killed the girl. Tell me when it happened. Give me the date,” said angry Malik.
 Pandits accused Malik of being the mastermind behind their exodus from the Valley.
 However, Malik said that he had been waiting for them to return. “It is my wish to see them back in their homeland, we are incomplete without them. They are our blood. But some vested interests keep these boys active in Delhi to stop us from raising our concerns,” Malik said. Despite repeated assurances that they would be allowed to make a point and speak, the protesters refused to yield. Policemen who were present at the venue whisked them away to restore peace in the auditorium of the India International Centre.

MALIK PROPOSES JOINT INDO-PAK COMMITTEE:
 Later speaking at the function, Malik proposed a joint Indo-Pak Kashmir Committee for resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
 He called on India and Pakistan not to consume future generations of the state and settle this issue for everlasting peace in the sub continent.
 He said that representatives of the Congress, BJP and the left parties from India and the PPP, Muslim League (N) and the Jamat Islami from Pakistan should be included in the proposed committee. “We are ready to accommodate “genuine concerns of India and Pakistan,” but the two countries should also recognize legitimate aspiration of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
 He said the Kashmir had turned into a conflict zone. Asking the peace activists to be pro-active in the resolution of the Kashmir issue, he asked, “Do you want one more Kashmiri generation to get consumed to the conflict?”
 Malik said that Kashmiris were not a commodity. He claimed that 80 per cent of the people of the state favour independence. “However, in changing scenario we are ready to accommodate genuine concerns of both India and Pakistan.”
 He accused media of scuttling the Sharm-el-Sheikh joint statement. “It forced Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh not to take any fresh initiative on the peace process,” he added.
 Noted lawyer Ashok Bhan in his address said, “Members of our community are the worst sufferers. Till today we are refugees in our own country. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti also left the valley in 1990, but gradually they returned and are leading a normal life today.”

Lastupdate on : Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 IST