By Reyaz Ahmed, NAK,
Baramulla : Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Sunday preferred to remain tightlipped over the unification possibilities between factions of Hurriyat Conference.
In reaction to recent invitation by Mirwaiz group, Geelani while talking to media persons on the sidelines of Seerat Conference held here today said, “There have been talks earlier on unification offered by Mirwaiz and after that stage there remain no scope to comment on it.”
When asked that despite his poll boycott campaign people participate in election rallies, he said people are being betrayed by politicians with hollow sloganeering and false promises of development.
“We have also participated in elections till 1987. Our aim was to convince India democratically for fulfilling the promises it has made with regard to Kashmir issue but India never took any steps to address the dominant sentiments of Kashmir and continued to militarize Kashmir with occupational forces and it was the natural corollary of this attitude of India that an armed uprising started in Kashmir,” said Geelani.
“The 1987 elections convinced us that we can’t get our rights democratically and those politicians and people who participate in polls justify the Indian military occupation of Kashmir and give it legitimacy,” he added.
“Indian troops have occupied major part of land in Baramulla and the citizens of the area have no land to construct their houses. It is policy of Indian government to settle troops here and turn people of Kashmir into minority,” said Geelani.
Accusing that Pakistani musical band is here on “Indian Agenda and Pakistani government should not have allowed them to visit this disputed land”.
He also said that during the past sixty years India has `ruled Kashmir as a colony’ and has turned it `military state’. “When there is colonialism, how can projects of development for public benefit take off”.
Regarding resolution Kashmir Issue, Geelani said that in 2004 an EU delegation visited Kashmir and made important observations that Kashmir is a beautiful prison, concentration of forces is the highest in Kashmir in comparison to other conflict zones and the peaceful solution of Kashmir lies in the implementation of UN resolutions. Before us this is the only durable and practical solution of the Kashmir problem which is accepted to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.