Mirwaiz hits back at Geelani

Geelani alleged that India and Pakistan have decided remain content with the status quo on Kashmir, reports Rashid Ahmad

The moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Ummer Farooq has hit back at its archrival Syed Ali Geelani for resorting to "negative and hartali politics" and said that they would not remain silent now.

"We have decided not to remain silent now. We will expose this negative thinking and approach in politics", a statement of the amalgam said on Sunday.

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The assertions came in response to a shutdown called by Syed Ali Geelani against the ongoing dialogue process between New Delhi and Islamabad and Mirwaiz-led faction of the Hurriyat Conference.

Geelani alleged that India and Pakistan have decided remain content with the status quo on Kashmir and Mirwaiz faction was supporting the two countries.

"Dialogue is the essence of Hurriyat consitution. We are trying to find ways and means for the peaceful and respectable solution of Kashmir issue through dialogue", said a statement of the Hurriyat amalgam insisting that the dialogue process would go on against all oppositions and negative politics. "We are going to Pakistan, we will also talk to New Delhi. We are very clear about it", the statement said.

The statement said that both India and Pakistan were nuclear powers and only naive could deem of a war between the two countries. "So there is need for a dialogue. The people of Kashmir cannot afford to open confrontation with New Delhi and Islamabad at the same time. We think that the dialogue is the only wayout and we will persue with the option", the statement said.

The amalgam faction asked people to ignore the shutdown called on the eve of their visit to Pakistan on January 17.