Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric and chairman of his faction of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has refused to meet the Centre’s interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir on the plea that none of the proposals submitted to the government following a series of meetings the conglomerate leadership had with the Prime Minister between 2004 and 2006 were conceded to by it.
Meanwhile, the interlocutors, who concluded their fourth visit to the state which began early this week, claimed here on Friday that most people who met them were not in favour of implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir that seek plebiscite but favoured socio-economic and political empowerment of people and devolution of power.
In their fresh effort to break the ice, the interlocutors had established contact with various key separatists leaders including the Mirwaiz over the phone or through different channels. Chief interlocutor Dileep Padgoankar had on Thursday evening telephoned the Mirwaiz to seek time for a meeting. “But I told him there is no need to talk to the interlocutors as none of the proposals we had made to the government during or immediately after our meetings with Prime Minister Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and his successor Dr Manmohan Singh were acknowledged. Had these been put into action the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir would have been different today,” the Mirwaiz told a congregations at Srinagar’s Grand Mosque on Friday before leaving for London to attend a seminar on Kashmir.
Unconditional release of political prisoners, withdrawal of the Army and various Central forces from populated areas, repealing of Armed Forces Special (Powers) Act and the Public Safety Act and improving the human rights record of the security forces were some of the suggestions the Hurriyat Conference had made to the Centre, he said.
The Mirwaiz said that the conglomerate was not against talks but firmly believed that no effort to seek an amicable and negotiated settlement to the Kashmir problem was possible “unless the Indian government shows seriousness and is sincere too