Kashmir separatists snub talks

SRINAGAR: The Kashmiri separatist leadership was cold on Sunday to advances of a breakaway group from an all-party delegation, which tried to meet and speak to them

SRINAGAR: The Kashmiri separatist leadership was cold on Sunday to advances of a breakaway group from an all-party delegation, which tried to meet and speak to them at their homes and in prisons.

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The snub reaffirmed their remarks that the 30-member political team, led by Union home minister Rajnath Singh, from New Delhi was in the Valley for a photo-op, and not to solve the crisis.

Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani turned back CPI(M)’ s Sitaram Yechury, JD(U)’s Sharad Yadav, D Raja of the CPI, Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav of the RJD — all leaders of opposition parties at the Centre — from the gates of his Hyderpora home in Srinagar.

The octogenarian Geelani, who is under house arrest, sent a message — that he doesn’t want to meet the politicians — through a small opening in the locked gate.

The group called on former Hurriyat head Abdul Ghani Bhat at his home in Jawahar Nagar, JKLF leader Yasin Malik at Humhama jail, and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Shabir Shah at Cheshma Shahi guest-house, which is a temporary prison.

Separately, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi met the Mirwaiz, the Valley’s chief cleric and a moderate Hurriyat leader, Shah and Bhat. The response for the politicos was cold all along, and the separatists refused to discuss the Kashmir situation. The state has been on the edge as 73 people have died in clashes with security forces since the killing of a militant leader on July 8.

The all-party delegation reached the Valley for a two-day visit to review the situation and look for ways to end the unrest, which has drawn comparison to the crisis in 2010.

The separatists denounced the delegation’s visit, saying such measures will prolong people’s sufferings in the troubled state.

They didn’t spare chief minister Mehbooba Mufti either. “The sickness of her mind touched a new low when she recently tried to justify Indian brutalities, saying Kashmiri boys don’t go out to camps with milk and toffees; that seemed to even embarrass her Indian boss sitting beside,” a statement said.

For her part, Mufti invited the separatist leadership for talks with the all-party team. She, however, insisted the invitation was in her capacity as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief, indicating coalition partner BJP was not keen on talks with separatists.

National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah was skeptical about the team. “Efforts like this have lost credibility as there was no follow-up of the previous visit in 2010,” he said.

More than 100 people were killed in the 2010 uprising and the separatists met a breakaway delegation afterwards.

Kashmir-based trade associations decided not to meet the delegation.

“In 2010, we met them and gave our feedback; they went to Delhi and forgot everything. Some members of the current delegation were here last time as well,” said Mushtaq Ahmad Wani, the president of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry.