By Mudassir Kuloo, Agence India Press,
Srinagar: Urging the mainstream politicians to come forward with an open mind and join them in political struggle, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Hurriyat (M) chairman said that they were in the favour of meaningful dialogue for the settlement of prolonged Kashmir issue.
In a Seerat Conference held on Thursday to celebrate the Eid-e-Milad Nabi (SAW) at the Hurriyat headquarters here and organized by Anjuman-e-Sharia Shia, Budgam, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that they were in the favour of meaningful dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue as per the aspirations of Kashmiri people.
“Indian government can’t suppress the Kashmiri freedom movement with guns. They (Indian Government) are playing delay tactics to weaken the movement,” Mirwaiz said.
He urged both India and Pakistan to start a meaningful dialogue with the involvement of true Kashmiri leadership. Mirwaiz said that the Kashmir issue should be the top priority between India and Pakistan which could pave the way to resolve other issues.
He asserted that Hurriyat can act as a bridge between India and Pakistan. “We are not against the friendship between these two nations but it should not be at the cost of sidelining the Kashmir issue,” Mirwaiz said.
“There is no role for India to control the trade between two parts of Kashmir.”
Without naming any political party, Mirwaiz blamed the Kashmiri mainstream politicians for allowing Indian government to ‘control and loot Kashmiri natural resources’. “We can’t remain silent over the loot of natural resources whether power or water,” he said.
He urged the religious clerics to raise the local issues and to make awareness among the masses about social, economic and political issues of the Kashmir. Mirwaiz also called for opening of natural trade routes connecting Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the world.
“At a time when people across the globe are coming closer, India and Pakistan need to throw open all such routes for trade. This will not only help in improving the economic condition of the people but also create a conducive atmosphere for the resolution of Kashmir issue,” he said.
On the occasion, senior Hurriyat leader Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat claimed that peace will not prevail unless and until Kashmir issue was solved. He invited mainstream parties (NC and PDP) to join the hands with the Hurriyat for the solution of Kashmir issue. “We should form a common road map for the resolution of the Kashmir problem,” Bhat said.
He alleged the mainstream parties for deceiving the Kashmiris in the past.
“We are the masters and architects of our destiny. We don’t want to die with a sense of defeat,” Bhat claimed.Quoting Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Bhat said that India and Pakistan cannot afford another war in the present circumstances.
Anjuman-e-Sharia Shiyaan Patron, Agha Hassan Almoosavi Alsafavi said that freedom movement will not succeed without the participation and cooperation of people. “We should strictly adhere to the teachings of Islam then no one will allure our youth to any other religion,” he emphasized.
Others who spoke on the occasion including Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik, Senior Hurriyat leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, noted religious cleric Agha Syed Mohammad Jaffar from Jammu and others.