Srinagar, Oct 11:  Separatists, including Hizbul Mujahideen, on Monday reacted sharply to the recent statement of Jamiat-Ulema-i-Hind (JuH), a body of Deoband clerics, on Kashmir. They said that Kashmir is an international dispute and it needs to be resolved politically.
  “We appreciate JuH’s concern over human rights violations taking place in Jammu and Kashmir, but they need to realize that Kashmir is an international issue and it cannot be resolved within the frame work of Indian constitution. It is an advertent or an inadvertent attempt to deviate the attention from the real issue, ” the Muzaffarabad based spokesman of Hizbul-Mujahideen, Ehsan Elahi said in a statement.
 He said that even Omar Abdullah has endorsed that Kashmir was an international dispute and it needs to be resolved politically. “Clerics should revisit history to refresh their memories. “Kashmir issue has been lingering on since the day India and Pakistan got freedom. The first Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru had promised that Kashmiris will be allowed to decide their fate,” Elahi added.
 Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G)  Syed Ali Shah Geelani said the Ulema had turned a blind eye to historical facts with regard to Kashmir.
 This has raised a question mark on the credibility of the Kashmir Conference organized by it on Sunday, he said.
 "The basic problem was ignored and instead thurst was given to issues which are the outcome of this long-standing problem."
 Geelani said the JuH should have highlighted the reality without taking sides.  "It is impossible they are not aware of historical facts with
regard to Kashmir," he said.
 The JKLF chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik said the JuH was issuing such statements out of compulsion and it would be better for them not to dabble in Kashmir issue. "It is their compulsion to issue such statements and we can understand that. It would be better for them to stay away from Kashmir issue," Malik said.
 Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, welcomed clerics' stand seeking revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). He also appreciated the concern shown by them over human rights violation in the Valley. But he was quick too add that Kashmir was an "internationally recognized dispute" and it should be resolved through dialogue among India, Pakistan and leadership of the state.
 "We do not view Kashmir issue from the Hindu-Muslim angle. It is a political issue which needs to be resolved," he added.
 Pertinently, the JuH on Sunday had said that Kashmir’s future lies with India and the interests of Kashmiri people were not separate from those of Indian Muslims.

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