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| On Pakistan Day, Kashmiri separatists prefer silence over eulogies | | No statement for first time issued either by Geelani or by Mirwaiz | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 23: The separatist leadership of Kashmir which earlier used to sing praises for Pakistan have finally fallen in line as this year on Pakistan day- both Geelani and Mirwaiz along with their ilk maintained a stoic silence.
March 23 every year is celebrated as Pakistan day. On this occasion every year, the separatist leaders especially Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Geelani would issue detailed press releases to the newspapers and TV channels, eulogising Pakistan and declaring how proud were they in being affiliated that country. However, this year looks different. For the first time since the inception militancy in Kashmir, there is no statement issued by any of the separatist leaders on eve of Pakistan day. Even the die hard Pakistani fan and for whose political career, Pakistan was believed to be raison d’être, is today silent. Also, there is no statement issued from Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also. The government of India last year decided to boycott the Pakistan National Day event to be held at its high commission in Delhi as Kashmiri separatist leaders were also invited. "The government of India has decided not to send any official representative to the Pakistan National Day event at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi," the official said last year.
The meetings of Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders with Pakistani establishments have always raised eyebrows here. In August 2015, a controversy had erupted over the proposed meeting between former Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Sartaz Aziz and Hurriyat leaders ahead of NSA-level talks in India.
Central government had then advised Pakistan that it would not be appropriate for Sartaz Aziz to meet with the Hurriyat representatives. Pakistan had then called off the NSA talks between the two nations.
The two NSAs were scheduled to meet in New Delhi for talks on terrorism-related issues for the first time on August 23, 2015.
In the year 2016, Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani and Asiya Andrabi among others were invited by Pakistan to attend ‘Pakistan Day’ function at its High Commission in Delhi.
Besides them, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik and Hurriyat’s moderate faction chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were also called that year to attend the event, official sources said.
Pakistan’s then envoy Abdul Basit had invited Hurriyat leaders including Geelani, Andrabi, Malik, Farooq and others to attend the ‘Pakistan Day’ function on March 23.
Meanwhile, as per the reports, there was no invite extended to the separatist leaders this year and also, what was more intriguing was to find these Pak supporters staying silent and not uttering a single word over the issue.
It remains to be seen that whether such a precedence will continue in future as well. |
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