Chairman of the moderate Hurriyat faction Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told reporters at the Pakistan high commission event: “We expected the BJP would go back to the Vajpayee policy.
Chairman of the moderate Hurriyat faction Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told reporters at the Pakistan high commission event: “We expected the BJP would go back to the Vajpayee policy. But till now there has been no such indication. On the contrary, it has hardened its position. The Kashmir issue is not any economic or law and order issue, it’s a political issue. Till the time a political approach is taken, there would not be any progress.” During his Kashmir visit in 2003, then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had said his government would hold talks with separatists on Kashmir “within the ambit of insaniyat”, after the separatists had refused to hold talks within the ambit of the Constitution. Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who was also present, said the Modi government was no different from the UPA, which too had a “brutal attitude” towards Kashmir. “India portrays itself as a democratic nation. But its behavior with minority communities including Muslims, Sikhs, dalits... paints the opposite picture,” he said.
Asked about the delay in government formation in the state owing to differences between the PDP and BJP, both Mr Farooq and Mr Geelani described it as a “minor” issue that would not have any effect in resolving the “actual problems”.
“It seems the government will be formed. But it’s not a big issue as to who forms the government in Kashmir. The real question is whether the government that will be formed will be able to do anything concrete. And that anyway will have to be decided by the Centre on whether it will adopt a political or military approach.
“The Hurriyat believes initiatives are needed where AFSPA goes, human rights violations are ended, bunkers, watchtowers are removed... But there is no such initiative towards that end. We are not against any government formation per se,” Umar Farooq said.
Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit said his country has been through “many phases and challenges”, but the enormous “resilience” of the Pakistani people has kept it going towards democracy, stability and prosperity. The Pakistani women’s cricket team, now touring India, also attended the celebrations.
