Rajnath says separatists lack Kashmiri and human values

SRINAGAR: Union home minister Rajnath Singh went after Kashmiri separatist leaders on Monday, saying their behaviour towards members of an all-party delegation that

SRINAGAR: Union home minister Rajnath Singh went after Kashmiri separatist leaders on Monday, saying their behaviour towards members of an all-party delegation that reached out to them over peace talks in the violence-hit region defied the spirit of “Kashmiriyat” and “insaniyat”.

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The minister, who led the 26-member team to the violence-scarred Valley, was visibly disappointed with the opposition leaders’ attempt to cut the ice with the separatists.

“I want to clarify that some members of the delegation had gone to meet Hurriyat leaders yesterday in their individual capacity,” he said before leaving Srinagar.

“Whatever information those friends gave us upon their return, it can be said it was not Kashmiriyat. It cannot be called insaniyat (humanity). When someone goes for talks and they reject it, it is not jamhooriyat (democracy) as well.”

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and three fellow politicians tried to speak to the separatists on Sunday, but no one was willing to discuss the situation in Kashmir, where 73 people have died in violent protests over the killing of a militant leader in July.

The all-party team made no headway as the situation in the Valley continued to be tense.

“Some leaders junked the advice not to jump the gun and went to the Hurriyat leaders’ doorsteps. They returned empty handed. This vindicates New Delhi’s approach towards a section of people in the Valley,” a government source in New Delhi said.