By IANS
Srinagar : Chairman of the moderate faction of the All Party Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Monday called upon India and Pakistan to ensure Kashmiris’ participation in the peace talks between the two countries.
“Kashmiris must be the architects of their future, and for this it is imperative for both India and Pakistan to ensure their participation in the ongoing peace talks,” Mirwaiz told a rally of Hurriyat activists here.
He also reminded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of his promise of zero tolerance against rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We demand release of political prisoners, opening of road links between the divided Kashmir for trade and travel, and the repeal of draconian laws in the state,” Mirwaiz said.
Calling his charter of demands as the “New Resolution of the Hurriyat Conference” that was made public Monday, the chairman also demanded demilitarisation of Kashmir.
The Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat also organized protest demonstrations in the city to highlight the alleged human rights violations by the security forces in Kashmir, where armed insurgency has claimed thousands of lives since 1989.
The protests were held to coincide with the World Human Rights Day Monday.
Earlier, Mirwaiz along with his supporters marched from the Rajbagh headquarters of the Hurriyat Conference to the rally venue.
Yasin Malik, chairman of the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), began the second day of his symbolic hunger-strike Monday to highlight the alleged rights violations in Kashmir.
The police arrested dozens of JKLF activists near the Regal Chowk area of the city when they were marching towards the headquarters of the United Nations Military Observers’ Group in the high security Sonawar area here.
The JKLF activists were to present a memorandum at the UN office.