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| Engage separatists in sustained dialogue | | | NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
No doubt the mood in the separatist camp is upbeat after Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, announced that Delhi was ready to talk to anyone in Kashmir, including those who are not in the political mainstream, the Hurriyat leaders do not like the Prime Minister to give weightage to small issues at the cost of bigger issues. Explaining it a senior Hurriyat leader, Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat, says that by complaining that "we did not sent the proposals on Kashmir issue, including the list of detainees" Manmohan Singh was simply trying to sacrifice bigger issues for the sake of smaller matters. What seems to amaze the separatist camp is that after a gap of three years Delhi has announced its willingness to hold talks with them. In fact during the last three years if not any other separatist group the AHPC has been always willing for talks with Delhi. When the APHC leaders besides the chairman Peoples' Conference, Sajjad Lone, had separate meetings with Prime Minister, Mnmohan Singh, in 2005 and 2006 it had been conveyed to them that they should submit their proposals regarding the Kashmir issue during the next meeting. Sajjad Lone burnt the midnight oil and prepared what he called Vision Document with the purpose of submitting to the Prime Minister. The Hurriyat leaders too had zeroed in on a couple of solutions but neither Lone nor the APHC leaders received any invitation for talks.
Instead the separatists were invited to the Prime Minister's roundtable conferences. There were a number of meetings of the roundtable conferences but no separatist leader of consequence attended these conferences. The reason for their absence was that they would not be a part of the crowd that do not treat the Kashmir issue disputed. Their argument was that the purpose of their meeting with the Prime Minister was to secure settlement of the Kashmir issue which was different from the agenda that was to be discussed in the roundtable conferences. In fact prior to the meeting with Manmohan Singh the Hurriyat leaders traveled to Pakistan where they had discussions with a number of leaders, including the then President, Gen. Parvez Musharraf. On their return they expected an invitation from Delhi where they would inform the Prime Minister about the nature of discussion they had with Pakistani leaders. The invitation never came.
When reminded that Manmohan Singh has stated that talks will be held with those who are not in the political mainstream provided they shun the gun the Hurriyat leaders say that "we do not hold guns. We are for peaceful resistance.” Reports say that after men who matter in Kashmir politics, including Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Saif-ud-Din Soz have favoured the resumption of talks with the separatists that the Prime Minister has expressed his willingness to hold dialogue with anyone in Jammu and Kashmir. Pof. Bhat says "well if we are invited by the Prime Minister our talks have to be Kashmir centric. Development of roads and other infrastructure are not going to be the agenda for talks." He adds "therefore talks with us are to be sustained and time consuming because the issue that will come under discussion is ticklish and has engaged India and Pakistan in a prolonged spell of confrontation."
Political pundits who are in favour of the resumption of talks with the separatists are of the opinion that if Delhi reopens the channels of dialogue those channels be not choked after one or two rounds of parelys. They say keep the separatists engaged so that they do not have time to incite people to violence. Let the separatists have a feeling that they too are among those who are counted in the state's political spectrum.It may force them to be on the defensive.
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