Geelani for strike on Wednesday against Omar-PM talks

Srinagar, Jan 13 (UNI) Calling for a strike on January 17, when leaders of moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) will meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at New Delhi, the chairman of the breakaway HC Syed Ali Shah Geelani said it was an exercise in futility and simply killing time.

Addressing a press conference here this afternoon he appealed to people to observe complete shut down in protest against the talks between the HC(Omar) leaders and Dr Singh.

Mr Geelani also dismissed the Delhi-Islamabad peace process and said it will not bear any fruit.

He said the much talked peace process between India and Pakistan had not achieved anything with respect to Kashmir in the last four years.

''The bilateral dialogue process was always advantage India as New Delhi has never accepted the demand of tripartite talks, between India, Pakistan and the Kashmiris,'' he added.

He claimed that the Kashmiri leaders engaged in the dialogue process had no mandate of the people of the State.

Mr Geelani said there were a number of bilateral agreements between India and Pakistan and India and some Kashmiri leaders since 1947 but the Kashmir issue remained unresolved.

He said the only way to find a durable and acceptable solution to this vexed issue was to hold plebiscite and implement the United Nations resolutions in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Geelanis aid all roadmaps being floated by certain politicians were aimed at gaining power in Jammu and Kashmir.

UNI