Ex-hijacker comes in support of Mirwaiz

Srinagar, Jan 23 (UNI) Democratic Liberation Party (DLP) chief Hashim Qureshi today hailed moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq for his call to militants to end the armed struggle in Jammu and Kashmir.

''It (the appeal) is a great thought and should be welcomed as it is meant for the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir and its people,'' Qureshi said in a statement from Amsterdam.

He also praised the Mirwaiz for his statement that the fights on political, diplomatic and military fronts have failed to achieve anything other than ''creating more graveyards''.

Qureshi said the Mirwaiz has finally arrived at the same conclusion he had reached about 15 years ago.

''The only regret is that the Mirwaiz had reached this conclusion after 15 years of death and destruction, whereas I have been saying this right from the beginning of the uprising in Jammu and Kashmir,'' the DLP chairman added.

He said the Mirwaiz's statement came at the behest of the Pakistani establishment and President Pervez Musharraf.

Qureshi also questioned the ''duplicitous'' policy of the Pakistani establishment for its support to both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference.

''On the one hand, the Pakistani establishment appreciates the Mirwaiz group for its moderate views, on the other, it supports the Geelani faction for keeping the fire of the armed struggle alive through various outfits such as the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen,'' he said.

The DLP chairman said this ''confusing policy'' was part of another ''conspiracy'' aimed at fomenting a ''civil war'' in order to divide the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who would finally end up killing each other.

''Both the Hurriyat factions are once again being used by the Pakistani establishment to divide the Kashmir cause and meet its own vested interests,'' he added.

Qureshi called upon the people of Jammu and Kashmir to see through this ''conspiracy'' and unite in order to ''fail'' the efforts of the Pakistani establishment and its supporters.

He urged Democratic Freedom Party president Shabir Shah, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yaseen Malik, Peoples Conference chief Sajjad Lone and others to arrive at a consensus on establishing a pro-Kashmir front to shape the ongoing ''freedom'' movement as per the wishes and aspirations of the people.

UNI