No ground work done for Round Table , Shabir Shah

Srinagar, Apr 22 : Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chief Shabir Ahmad Shah today said no ground work has so far been done for the Round table conference being held here in May.

''We will react formally to any invitation from the Centre for the Round table conference being held here in May,'' Mr Shah told UNI.

''Let us receive the invitation from the Centre for the conference,'' he said adding, we will discuss it in our working committee before taking any decision.

However, he accused the Centre and the state governments of failing to do ground work for the conference.

We did not see any change in the attitude of the Centre on the Kashmir issue after the first Round table conference was held at New Delhi on February 25, he said not a single measure has been taken to make the atmosphere conducive for such a conference, he added.

He said it was announced that separatists languishing in jails will be released and Human Rights violations stopped.

Only 40 people have been released so far, Mr Shah said.

He said hundreds of Kashmiris are launguishing in different jails in and outside the state for the last 10-12 years.

Despite the court orders, the authorities refused to release the detenues, he said Senior separatist leaders were being re-arrested within the jail permises and implicated in false cases and later booked Under Public Safety Act (PSA) he added.

Mr Shah alleged after the grenade blasts in Srinagar recently, security forces killed innocent people by resorting to firing.

Several youth were also taken into custody after labelling them as militants responsible for these blasts, he said.

He said there was no visible change on the ground after India and Pakistan began the dialogue process.

''The fruits of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) taken by the India and Pakistan to improve their relations have not reached the valley.'' he said adding we did not see any change in Kashmir as custodial killings, fake encounters and arrests of innocent people still continues.

Mr Shah said his party was ready to discuss the Kashmir issue outside the United Nations resolutions. We are ready to come down from our known stand on Kashmir, provided the centre responds positively, he said. He said India too should show flexibility as has been shown by Pakistan and the people of Jammu and Kashmir if we have to resolve the vexed issue,he said.

Mr Shah said it was "unfortunate" that India was sending more troops to the valley.

Reacting to Union Home Secretary V K Duggal's recent statement that more troops will be deployed in Kashmir, Mr Shah said this will further complicate the atmosphere.

He said the DFP was not against holding of elections which will help to move ahead on the Kashmir issue.

"We do not want to participate in the elections which are just for ruling the state without addressing the core issue," he said.

UNI

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