Polls not a solution to J&K issue: Geelani
Chairman of APHC's breakaway faction has said J and K issue cannot be resolved by elections or by playing cricket or hockey matches.
Accusing the Ansari-led faction of Hurriyat Conference of conniving with the centre on elections, chairman of breakaway amalgam Syed Ali Shah Geelani said on Saturday, polls are not a solution to the Kashmir issue, which can only be resolved through tripartite talks or implementation of UN resolutions.
Geelani, who ran an extensive anti-election campaign in the Valley, told reporters in Srinagar that the election to the Lok Sabha were 'farce and fraudulent' and the 'poor turnout' showed that majority of the people were with the 'freedom movement'.
Referring to the split in Hurriyat Conference, the firebrand separatist leader said, "the cleansing and purification process in Hurriyat last year has been justified by the acts of erstwhile leadership (Ansari faction) during the elections."
He said elections were not a solution to the Jammu and Kashmir issue, which can only be resolved either by implementation of UN resolutions or through tripartite talks.
Kashmir issue cannot be resolved by elections, running bus service between Lahore and Delhi or by playing cricket or hockey matches between India and Pakistan, he added.
On the unification efforts within the Hurriyat Conference led by Kashmir bar association President Mian Abdul Qayoom and Democratic Freedom Party leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, Geelani said, we have a constitution of the amalgam and whoever accepts is welcome.