Srinagar, Nov 12: Reacting to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s statement that New Delhi had accepted Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani’s 5-point proposal as a condition for restoration of peace in the Valley, the veteran pro-freedom leader today said the response to his offer should come from Government of India and not the state Government.
“We want a direct and unambiguous response to our 5-point proposal from New Delhi. The position of state rulers is nothing more than an agency responsible for maintaining law and order,” Geelani told Greater Kashmir.
“As permanent solution of Kashmir is imperative for lasting peace in the sub-continent, in the same way the acceptance of our 5-point proposal, without any doubt, is a basic for creating a congenial atmosphere for resolution of the dispute,” Geelani said.
“It is a welcome step if New Delhi agrees to accept the realities. However, the situation remains unchanged on ground and the use of gun and force against Kashmiris continues,” he said. The Hurriyat (G) has been spearheading the “Quit Jammu and Kashmir campaign” for past five months wherein it has been issuing the regular protest calendars.
On Thursday Omar told a local news agency that New Delhi had already accepted the 5-points put forward by Geelani.
“Three interlocutors appointed by New Delhi have already declared Kashmir as a dispute and they have acknowledged that Pakistan has a role. New Delhi has not denied any of these statements. Remaining four points of the formula fall within the domain of the state government and we are working on it,” Omar said.
Omar had gone on to add, “Does Geelani sahib want Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to declare Kashmir as a dispute in Parliament?”
“We don’t want to demean Omar Abdullah’s stature but he should understand his position before issuing statements on Kashmir dispute. He should not forget the treatment meted out to his late grandfather (Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah) in 1953 when an ordinary policeman had arrested him,” Geelani reacted to Omar’s statement.
Geelani also questioned Omar’s statement that action on four out of five proposals from Hurriyat (G) was the responsibility of the state government which was already working on them.
“For face saving, the state rulers had pleaded with New Delhi for revocation of AFSPA from a few districts and release of some prisoners but it was not accepted (by Government of India). The state government has no powers to order promotion or transfer of top police officials not to talk of revocation of AFSPA or lessening the powers of troops,” Geelani said.
In September this year, Geelani had put five conditions for restoration of normalcy in the Valley which could pave way for any kind of dialogue process on Kashmir. The conditions included: India should accept Kashmir an international dispute, begin demilitarization of the state under the supervision of a credible world agency, repeal all ‘draconian’ laws including Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act, release all political prisoners and punish the force personnel involved in the killings which took place across the state since June. He also wanted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to publicly commit and ensure no further killings would take place.
“Even if Omar Abdullah wishes, he can’t play any role for resolution of Kashmir dispute. The acceptance of five point proposal by New Delhi is the basic need for permanent resolution of Kashmir,” Geelani said.
On the appointment of 3-member team of interlocutors by Government of India on Kashmir, Geelani said they are non-political entities. And in an apparent reference to the statement by the head of the interlocutors’ team, Dileep Padgaonkar, that Kashmir was a dispute, Geelani said, “They have been strictly ordered (by New Delhi) to refrain from making any statement and in this condition if they made some utterances, they were admonished.”
The veteran leader said the five-month long protests by Kashmiris have shown their resolve to fight for their basic rights. “The decision makers in New Delhi should understand the ground realities and respond without any delay. People of Kashmir want Indian Prime Minister to accept the realities in the Parliament. Omar Abdullah should realize that a permanent solution to Kashmir would ultimately lay foundation for strong India.”
He termed as unrealistic the assertion by the state government that people were disassociating themselves from Hurriyat programs. “People are mature enough to understand their responsibilities. They understand that shutdown is a need for the cause of the nation,” Geelani said.
The state government, Geelani said, should note that Hurriyat attaches utmost importance to education of students. Since examination of students were going on for past one and half month so Omar Abdullah led government had wrongly assessed the situation thinking that everything was limping back to normalcy.
Geelani said 112 civilians were killed in police and CRPF action since June 11. “More than 3000 people were left injured, many of them seriously and thousands were put behind bars. If state rulers believe that situation had turned normal then Omar Abdullah should come out of security cover and travel to any town or village. Let they remove the siege around our houses and they will come to know about the ground realities.”

Lastupdate on : Fri, 12 Nov 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:00:00 IST