The separatist and pro-India political parties on Tuesday sharply reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s belated statement on Kashmir situation saying the invocation of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s insaniyat and jamhooriyat (humanity and democracy) remark has never moved beyond rhetoric.
“Killing innocent people and imposing indefinite curfew in Kashmir is in no sense Insaniyat and Jamooriyat,” JKPCC chief and former Minister Gulam Ahmad Mir said.
He said the people of Kashmir have not seen any ray of democracy and humanity on ground as claimed by the BJP. “It is better to implement the principles of democracy and humanity on ground rather than uttering the phrases in public rallies,” he said.
He said it is unfortunate that Prime Minister spoke over the Kashmir situation after 32 days and failed to utter a single word over civilian killings.
The Opposition National Conference provisional president, Nasir Aslam Wani said the Government of India must initiate a meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders of Kashmir. “Kashmir issue is not a developmental issue but a political issue and should be addressed politically,” he said.
He termed it unfortunate that the PM didn’t speak even a single word over the killing of civilians in Kashmir. “The Governments at the Centre as well as in the State should immediately stop excessive use of force, pellet guns against the protesters and should also stop the arrest spree in Kashmir,” he said.
legislator Hakim Yasin said that they have been listening the same things from the past several years. Now it is time to show something on ground.
The Government spokesman and Education Minister Naeem Akhtar, however, was all praise for Modi’s statement. “Prime Minister Modi’s statement on Kashmir is praiseworthy. We have welcomed his approach over reaching out to the perturbed people of Kashmir,” he said.
Akhtar said dialogue has always been the only way to get Kashmir out of crises and allow its inhabitants to witness peaceful times. “We want the dialogue process to continue — we want it to gain momentum even when the present crises are resolved and things return to normalcy in the coming days,” Akhtar said.
Meanwhile, breaking his long silence over the Kashmir situation, former Chief Minister and NC president Farooq Abdullah urged New Delhi to acknowledge the genesis of the Kashmir turmoil lies in the injustice of August 1953 when a popular, democratically elected Prime Minister of J&K was illegally overthrown to suppress the political sentiment in Kashmir.
Abdullah said the Central leaders in New Delhi who are advocating a political solution to Kashmir have traditionally acquiesced with the conventional, tried and tested formulations of an operational handling of the issue. “Their stand is welcome and I hope they don’t go back to the conventional policy of validating an operational handling when seeking a political resolution might become less expedient for them”, Farooq Abdullah stated.
Meanwhile, senior separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani took a dig at Modi’s assertion that basis of Kashmir issue was because of the economic and developmental reasons. He said that “killer forces have made Kashmiri boys blind forever.”
In his reaction, Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said, “As far as what Kashmiris want, the writing on the wall is clear, even literally. It can be easily read by those who want to read it”.
Mirwaiz reiterated that Kashmir is a political dispute to be addressed in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of its people as guaranteed to them by the world community and ratified by India and Pakistan.
Another separatist leader Yasin Malik said that naming overwhelming majority of Kashmiris demanding Azadi as ‘misled’ was an old ploy of Indian leaders.