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Pecking contest among doves in the Valley
The rift between the Valley’s moderate separatist groups came to the fore on Monday, with JKLF chief Yasin Malik accusing Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of “making money in the name of the separatist movement” and “furthering India’s interests”. Toufiq Rashid reports.
The rift between the Valley’s moderate separatist groups came to the fore on Monday, with JKLF chief Yasin Malik accusing Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of “making money in the name of the separatist movement” and “furthering India’s interests”.
A former militant turned ‘Gandhian’ who is often in the news for controversy, Malik had sent a statement to the media. “The Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat claims to represent the resistance. But they have achieved big houses, expensive vehicles and other benefits in their name,” it read.
Spats between the moderates and hardliners have been the norm lately. But this is the first public show of acrimony between the two most prominent moderate camps.
The Mirwaiz dismissed Mallik’s statement was “an emotional outburst”, which came after he was denied a chance to speak at a seminar in the Kashmir University.
Malik said it was because he had wished to discuss politics. But attributing the university’s decision to “time constraint”, the Mirwaiz said, “I think he (Malik) got offended because of that’’.
