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| HM says ready for talks, separatists say declare J&K a disputed area | | Kashmir response | | Early Times Report
Jammu, May 28: It was on Friday that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh expressed the willingness of the Government of India that it could talk to Pakistan and Hurriyat Conference if they came forward for the resolution of the issues. "Kashmir and Kashmiris are ours; we can talk to Pakistan and Hurriyat Conference," Rajnath Singh said in an interview to a news channel in Delhi.
While his announcement evoked a sharp reaction from the nationalist forces in the state, it evoked a mixed response from the separatist camp in Kashmir. It didn't reject outright the suggestion, but it imposed conditions. The Democratic Freedom Party of Shabbir Shah, who has been behind bars since months now, said that "seriousness of the offer would be determined only if the government orders the forces to go back to the barracks, engage all parties of the dispute in talks and release all political prisoners".
On the other hand, Pakistani agent Syed Ali Shah Geelani went a step further and said that if the Government of India was really interested in talks, it had to recognize J&K a disputed territory, as also to accept his 5 demands put forth in 2010.
"Hurriyat leaders were never against dialogue and if New Delhi really means business this time it must first accept Kashmir as a dispute and make resistance camp's 2010 five-point proposal basis for fresh talks. If New Delhi really means business, it must accept Kashmir as a dispute. Unless there is some seriousness in talks there is no fun," Geelani on Sunday said at his Hyderpora house, Srinagar.
What was his five-point proposal? Five-point proposal framed after 2010 summer agitation included demands that J&K be recognized as a dispute, Armed forces be withdrawn from populated areas, political prisoners (read separatists and terrorists) be released unconditionally and laws such as Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act be revoked.
What would the Government of India do now? Will it accept all these pre-conditions laid down by separatists, who have no say whatsoever in Jammu and Ladakh, the state's two larger provinces? The general view in Jammu is that the "BJP could go to any extent to appease separatists". "If the BJP could grant amnesty to 10,000 dreaded stone-pelters and announce unilateral ceasefire, why can't it declare J&K a disputed territories"? they ask. |
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