'India 'scared' of taking bold initiative on Kashmir'

Srinagar, May 21: Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today said India was ''scared'' of taking any bold political initiative on the Kashmir issue and urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to evolve a consensus on finding ways and means to resolve the problem in a permanent and amicable manner.

''The time has come for the Prime Minister to evolve a consensus on the Kashmir issue. He should initiate talks with the BJP, Left and other political parties on finding ways to resolve the contentious problem,'' the Mirwaiz told a public meeting here.

He said India was ''scared'' of taking any bold initiative while Pakistan had shown ''great flexibility'' vis-a-vis the resolution of the vexed Kashmir issue.

The Hurriyat chairman was addressing the public meeting at the martyrs' graveyard at Eidgah grounds here to mark the anniversaries of death of assassinated leaders Mirwaiz Moulvi Mohammad Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone.

''Kashmir is a political and not a military issue. It should be resolved through political ways and means only,'' he added.

Mirwaiz Farooq said the Hurriyat Conference was ready to take any bold initiative on the long-festering Kashmir issue. ''We are ready to tread on those roads which lead to the resolution of the Kashmir issue and future building of the people,'' he added.

The Mirwaiz also ruled out the participation of the moderate Hurriyat Conference in the 2008 Assembly elections in the state. ''We are ready to participate in any election process, which would help in the resolution of the Kashmir issue, and are held in all the regions of the erstwhile state -- Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan,'' he added.

The Hurriyat chairman said several elections have been held in Jammu and Kashmir since 1947, but the basic issue was never addressed and hence the turmoil in the state.

''If the elections are going to be held for the administrative and governance purposes only, then India has to wait till 2080 for the participation of the Hurriyat Conference,'' he added.

The Mirwaiz said India was looking for short-term and interim arrangements such as elections in Jammu and Kashmir. ''If India is sincere and serious in resolving the Kashmir issue and takes one step in that direction, we are ready to take ten,'' he added.

The Hurriyat chairman said India cannot ignore the people of Jammu and Kashmir in any resolution process or in its dialogue with Pakistan. ''The involvement of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the ongoing dialogue process between India and Pakistan is imperative as they have put everything at stake,'' he added.

The Mirwaiz said the Hurriyat Conference was ready to help both India and Pakistan in finding a solution to the Kashmir issue. ''The Hurriyat Conference believes in dialogue, but the talks should be issue based. We have a mission to ensure that the people of the state are given an option to decide their future,'' he added.

The Hurriyat chairman said the dialogue process and the resolution of the Kashmir issue were inter-linked.

The Mirwaiz said Pakistan showed flexibility on Kashmir when its President Pervez Musharraf put forth a four-point proposal to resolve the contentious issue. ''It is India's turn now to reciprocate that flexibility,'' he added. The Hurriyat chairman said situation in Jammu and Kashmir would automatically improve if the people were given some relief at the ground level. ''So far, there has been no change in the ground situation despite talks between India and Pakistan,'' he added.

Mirwaiz Farooq said the people of Jammu and Kashmir should now rise on their feet to show direction to India and Pakistan in finding an amicable and permanent settlement of the vexed issue.

He said the Hurriyat Conference got engaged in a dialogue with Government of India at the time when everybody was opposed to it.

''We want a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue. We talked to India only with that purpose. But, there was a strong opposition from those who are running their shops in the name of the Kashmir issue and were against peace and normalcy,'' the Mirwaiz added.

He said the armed struggle was part of the ongoing ''freedom'' movement. ''It will be wrong to say that the armed struggle is a freedom movement. Militancy is part of the movement only.'' The Mirwaiz said the doors of his Hurriyat Conference were open to all those who want to see the resolution of the Kashmir issue through dialogue in a peaceful manner. ''We have always given preference to the unity. We want all the separatists to come under one banner to represent the people of Jammu and Kashmir in an effective manner,'' he added.

UNI

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