Jammu, September 5: Aided by Pakistan and backed by militants separatists in Kashmir turned down an offer for talks made by members of the All Party delegation who landed in Srinagar on Sunday.
Even senior leaders of CPIM, CPI and JD(U) who visited residence of Syed Ali Shah Geelani were sent back with a word from Geelani that he was not prepared to meet them because there could be no possible solution to the issue.
It was destined because Pakistan had promised added moral, material and diplomatic support to them provided they spurn talks offer. Yes they could meet some ‘moderate' leaders but they too expressed helplessness because of the size of the violence..
By landing in Srinagar, members of All Party delegation knew of the stand being taken by separatists but still they came and had met over 100 people to secure views on the issue.
In fact state unit Congress president G.A Mir, was a wise man because he had suggested to Rahul Gandhi to postpone his visit on the plea that he would be slighted in Kashmir when separatists and their followers shout pro-Azadi and anti-India slogans and refuse to meet party leaders. This would be an insult to Rahul Gandhi.
The united separatist leadership on Sunday rejected Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's invitation to them for meeting with all-party delegation, terming such a measure as “deceitful” and insisting that it cannot be an alternative to a transparent agenda-based dialogue to address the core issue.
A day after Mehbooba invited separatists in her capacity as PDP chief, separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (both of separate Hurriyat Conference factions) and JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik issued a joint statement here, rubbishing her and her offer.
They said nobody is more aware than Mehbooba that the “Indian war machine is on a spree to kill, maim and disfigure an entire population into complete submission for demanding freedom, which is the birth right of all human beings. Unfortunately Indian forces in J&K have a fig-leaf available in the shape of a quisling government fronted by her with the only brief to provide a civilian mask to a brutal military occupation. Despite killings and injuries of war-proportions she continues to perform shamelessly this role of obfuscation.”
