By IRNA
Srinagar, India : The moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference has not yet taken a final decision on conducting a poll boycott campaign, and would be sending a high-level delegation to visit Pakistan, the chairman of the alliance, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, said, calling for a Kosovo-like international involvement in Kashmir.
Talking to reporters here Monday, the Mirwaiz said that elections were not an issue before the conglomerate as they were held to take care of administrative matters and were linked to general law and order.
In reply to a question, the Mirwaiz said that the stand on elections adopted by his rival, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, could be considered to be sound, but added that his alliance had not yet taken a final decision on whether or not to conduct a poll boycott campaign.
“There is plenty of time yet, and the Hurriyat will sit at the appropriate moment to take a final decision after mutual consultation,” he said.
“The antics of the pro-India parties with regard to elections are meaningless, and unacceptable to Kashmiris,” he said.
“The international community cannot close its eyes to the Kashmir issue for long. It will have to play a central role in the Kashmir issue just as it did in Kosovo,” he said.
The Mirwaiz said that the Hurriyat would dispatch a high-level delegation to Pakistan soon, as it had been waiting for the formation of the new government.
He said that violence and talks could not go together, and therefore the government of India would have to call an immediate halt to human rights violations in the state.
Referring to the discovery of a large number of nameless graves in the Uri area of Baramulla district, the Mirwaiz said that this was living proof of oppression and barbarity in Kashmir, such facts could not be ignored.
The Mirwaiz said that the Hurriyat had no immediate agenda on the possibility of talks with the centre.
Earlier, speaking at a conference to mark the birth anniversary of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the Mirwaiz said that all nations of the world had accepted Kashmir as a dispute, and this was a great victory for the Kashmir movement.
“The international community does not accept the Indian contention that Kashmir is no issue. The OIC has kept Kashmir at the top of its agenda, and other countries, including the US and the European Union, have begun taking an interest in Kashmir,” he said.
“Even pro-India parties have started adopting the line of the pro-movement groups that peace can not be established in Kashmir until the Kashmir issue is resolved in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people,” he said.
“Elections are of no use, and neither are they a substitute for the sacrifices of the people,’ he said.