news details |
|
|
| PM puts dialogue ballin court of separatists | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 29: When on August 15,2009 Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, told people from the ramparts of the Red Fort that the recent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir had demonstrated that separatist ideology had no place in the state it had dismayed those who are on the other side of the mainstream politics. At that stage separatists felt that the centre was not interested in resuming talks with them. However, these very separatists, especially those belonging to the moderates, seemed to be cheerful when they learnt that the same Manmohan Singh, while referring to the appeal for dialogue with separatists, had stated that "I hope it will be reciprocated in the spirit it was made."
When senior All Party Hurriyat Conference leader, Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat, was asked whether he was hopeful on the resumption of the dialogue he said "I am always hopeful for the best even while preparing for the worst.” Supporting Manmohan Singh's eagerness for resolving all bilateral issues and problems through talks Bhat said "we too have been favouring the reopening of the channels of dialogue." He said neither India nor Pakistan can find an "escape" from dialogue and added the "early it is started the better will be its results."
Bhat did not agree on reports that Manmohan Singh did not say anything new either at Wanpoh in Anantnag district yesterday or during the news conference in Srinagar today. He said that earlier, especially on August 15, the Prime Minister had categorically stated that following bigger participation of people of Jammu and Kashmir in the elections there was no space for separatist ideology in Jammu and Kashmir. He claimed that the Prime Minister would have, by now, realised the ground realities and announced his willingness to talk to the separatists. Asked despite his repeated pronouncements that he was in favour of resuming dialogue with the separatists why invitation had not been sent to them Bhat said "the silent process of dialogue has already started. It is not to be made public." He hoped that the proper stage will be set after the APHC chairman, Molvi Umar Farooq, returned to Srinagar from London, where he had gone to address a couple of conference, next week.
The Hurriyat leader also did not agree with reports that Manmohan singh was laying precondition for the resumption of composite dialogue with Pakistan. Bhat said if the Indian Prime Minister stated that Pakistan need to dismantle terror infrastructure for creating the right atmosphere for the resumption of the bilateral dialogue it was his version of the story. He added that by saying so Manmohan Singh has not said anything new and this stand India has taken during the last one year after the terrorist strike in Mumbai.
In reply to a question Bhat said if Delhi believed that Pakistan was yet to act against terrorists it was wrong because Islamabad had already launched military operations against the terrorists first in the Swat valley and at present in Waziristan. During these operations several hundred terrorists were killed and top commanders were arrested.
Two important questions emerge out of the Prime Minister's announcements. First when shall formal invitation be sent to the separatists which alone could signal the resumption of the dialogue? Secondly, whether the hardliners, especially Syed Ali Shah Geelani accept the invitation for attending the meeting convened by the Prime Minister or the Union Home Minister? During the last five years the parleys held with the separatists, whether during Atal Behari Vajpayee's regime or that of Manmohan Singh Geelani had not accepted any invitation. A stage had reached that both Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh placed all their eggs in the basket of the APHC thereby ignoring Geelani and his associates in the camp of hawks.
Another issue that seems to bother people and political analysts pertains to the demand for the resumption of the composite dialogue with Pakistan. Even the American Government has started mounting pressure on Islamabad and Delhi for resuming bilateral talks. Since Delhi has announced, a number of times, that it would reopen the channels of dialogue with Islamabad only after Pakistan took action against the perpetrators of Mumbai terrorist strike and after it dismantled the terror infrastructure what will be its stand once both the Swat Valley and Waziristan were freed from the control of the Taliban? Will Delhi stick to its stand that talks could be resumed if Islamabad initiated action against Hafiz Saeed, who is believed to have engineered the Mumbai terrorist strike? These are certain questions that continue to delay the resumption of Indo-Pak talks and the centre-separatist dialogue.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
