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Hurriyat has betrayed Kashmiris: Farooq

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said the All Parties Hurriyat Conference has betrayed the people of the state at the behest of their mentors across the border.

''However, the peace process will continue as the APHC is not the sole representative of the people of the state, who have been yearning for peace,'' Dr Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar.

There are many other groups who could contribute to the process, he said and added by rejecting the offer of talks, the Hurriyat stands isolated.

He said they should have first held talks with the Centre's chief negotiator K C Pant and then insisted on their demand for visiting Pakistan to hold talks with the leaders of the militant outfits and the military establishment there.

Reiterating that Kashmir is an integral part of India, he said the Hurriyat's dream of merging it with Pakistan will never come true. Asked if the rejection came at the behest of Islamabad, Dr Abdullah said the Hurriyat has been working on the directions of the neighbour.

''On Tuesday evening, senior Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had met Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi and now they have rejected the offer.''

The chief minister, who has been opposing the cease-fire initiative, said the truce will continue despite increased militant activities in the state. He claimed that the cease-fire had yielded positive results as ''most of our people who had crossed over the border have returned. Many of them have joined the mainstream.''

Dr Abdullah challenged the Hurriyat leaders to take part in the next year's assembly elections in the state. ''What do they think... they are the true representatives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Let them take part in the elections and prove it.''

He said the APHC does not have any representative from the Jammu or the Ladakh regions. ''How can a person from Sopore claim to be the voice of the people of the state?'' the chief minister asked.

Dr Abdullah said that the panchayat polls in the state would be held as per schedule.

On the Centre's rejection of the Hurriyat leader's demand to visit Islamabad, he said they should first hold the talks with Pant and the issue could be taken up later. "When the Indian government does not stop them to visit the Pakistan High Commission here, why should it stop them going to the neighbouring country?" he asked.

Dr Abdullah expressed the hope that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's peace initiative would bring the desired results.

UNI

The Kashmir Cease-Fire: The Complete Coverage

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