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Written by: Press Trust of Kashmir

Created: 30 January 2019

SRINAGAR: Pakistan is set to observe Kashmir Day on February 5 as a mark of protest against the "government of India's reluctance to solve the burning issue". "'We are organising Kashmir Day in Pakistan on February 5 and we will invite all political parties of Pakistan and will support the Kashmir cause' -- this is what Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told me over phone," separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, on Wednesday said, while addressing the media in Srinagar.

Farooq spoke to Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi over telephone on Tuesday (January 29). According to a statement issued by the Pakistani Foreign Office, the two talked about the Kashmir issue. Qureshi said that his government was trying to highlight the "human rights violations" being perpetrated by India. In response, India said the action reflected "duplicity" in Pakistani leadership's intentions.

"We want a peaceful resolution to the Jammu and Kashmir issue and Pakistan is also willing to resolve it through peaceful dialogue," Mirwaiz Umar Farooq added. The Kashmir issue should be seen as a political issue, and not a developmental one, he said. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said, "Kashmiris are upset because of the aggressive policies adopted by the Central government of India. They are responsible for pushing the Kashmiri youth towards militancy."

On the main issue, the political dispute of Jammu and Kashmir, on which talks and deliberations should be held, “there was never any clarity on that”, he added. Stating that Singh’s statement was not based on fact, Mirwaiz said that the Hurriyat and Joint resistance Leadership (JRL) had stated on record that “we want to engage and we want to see a political solution to this problem and we have always maintained that we want to engage with both India and Pakistan”.

On the Centre’s special representative Dineshwar Sharma’s attempts at holding talks with the Hurriyat, Mirwaiz said, “This exercise is not going to yield anything because in the past also we have seen interlocutors and special representatives coming and giving their reports. All these reports have never been taken up by the Government of India.”

He hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would revisit that policy but that never happened, and it was clear that the government wanted to use military might and suppress the voice of the people.

Mirwaiz cautioned that by completely isolating and trying to marginalise the political players, the Hurriyat and JRL, “what they have done is that they have left that space open. That vacuum has created a situation where people have lost hope of any political movement forward. Dialogue has become a word people have lost trust in.” India has always maintained that the issue of Kashmir is bilateral and there can be no third party intervention in the matter. India has also emphasised that what happens in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter and Pakistan should stop interfering.  

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SRINAGAR: A key constituent of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Independent Movement headed by Bilal Lone, held its maiden delegates session at the amalgams party headquarters Rajbagh, Srinagar. Delegates from almost all the districts of Kashmir participated in the session that was presided over by the APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while as Prof Abdul Gani Bhat and Bilal Lone were also present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Bilal Lone said that his priority was to carry forward the mission of his father shaheed-e-Hurriyat Abdul Gani Lone which pursued throughout his life till the last minute of his martyrdom. Bilal Lone said that the previous name of his party Peoples Conference had resulted in confusion among the ranks and files of party and that he decided to change the name of his party. After consultations with my party workers, zeored in on the name -- JK Peoples Independent Movement. He said the party under its new name will strengthen the APHC and the hands of Mirwiaz Umar Farooq on all fronts. Expressing full faith in the Hurriyat Conference and its leadership, Bilal Lone said to change the name of his party was taken after taking workers into confidence. 

He said his affiliation and attachment with the freedom movement of Kashmir was his father's legacy and he and his workers will remain steadfast towards the movement as people of Kashmir have offered their priceless sacrifices for the pious goal of right to self-determination. To support APHC on all fronts and to protect the mission of martyrs is my ultimate goal. Bilal Lone said that Kashmir issue has to be resolved by India and Pakistan bit not without the active participation of people of Kashmir.  He urged his party activists to act as the representatives of APHC in their respective districts and to remain steadfast and committed towards the Kashmir cause.

In his address, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat said that Kashmiri people are sacrificing their today for a better tomorrow and time is not far when the dawn of freedom will rise and enlighten entire region. He said the Hurriyat was representing a great thought and ideology and Kashmiris aren't worried for themselves only but others also. He said war between India and Pakistan wasn't possible and time is not far when both nations will have to resolve the vexed Kashmir dispute.

In his presidential address, All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while welcoming the delegates stated that people of Kashmir are offering priceless sacrifices for a sacred cause and there is a long list of sacrifices that will go in the great history of Kashmir struggle. He said that Kashmir struggle is not for any economic package or chair or for any monetary benefits but purely for the right to self determination. He said a series of steps are being employed to weaken the struggle and the example is before us that our educated youth are being pushed to wall and left with no option other than to pick up arms and resistance leadership caged and even not allowed to mourn the deaths of our youth, our orchards damaged, houses blown up and resistance leaders caged and booked under PSA. He said that legal ploys are also being put to use to change the disputed nature of Kashmir while as military might is used to muzzle the genuine dissent.

Mirwaiz asked GOI as to why a phone call to him by Pakistan foreign minister has irked them while the fact remains that Pakistan is a party to dispute What are they objecting to?  As to Why is Pakistan highlighting the daily misery of Kashmiri’s whose every right including the right to live is subject to  the whim of an ordinary soldier on ground who can shoot at will under legal cover and get away with it ,or worse be rewarded for it! 

“Should the world not know of it ? If India cares so much about its image let them walk their talk of being a democracy and resolve the dispute democratically through talks and hold the promised referendum,” Mirwaiz said.  He said while on one hand GOI talks about  Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat, and Jhamoriyat but on ground the fact it that they have unleashed worst ever policy of repression under the garb of CASO wherein everyday our youth are being killed mercilessly. 

Mirwaiz said that New Delhi's stubborn approach was the biggest hurdle in Kashmir resolution though former prime minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee had talked about dealing with Kashmir within the ambit of Insaniyat with all parties on board but the current Indian PM Narinder Modi has only followed an iron fist military approach to suppress the voice of the people of Kashmir.  Mirwaiz said that people are facing tremendous hardships and it is need of the hour to forge unity on all fronts.