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No question of asking Hizb, Lashkar to give up violence: Hurriyat leader

Onkar Singh in Delhi

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the Hurriyat Conference leader known for his pro-Pakistan stance, says there is no question of asking militant outfits like the Hizbul Mujahiddin and Laskhar e Taiyba to give up violence.

"Why should we ask them to give up violence?" Geelani told rediff.com on Monday. "As far as we are concerned, the Government of India and its agencies indulge in violence in Jammu and Kashmir. Our freedom movement is now at its peak and we would not ask the militants to give up their struggle. They are fighting for a just cause."

Geelani said the people of Kashmir had waited a long time for the state's problem to be resolved peacefully, but nothing had happened. "We have been waiting for a peaceful solution since 1948. Our boys waited till 1989 before they picked up the gun to fight for the cause. We have been forced to pick up guns because the Government of India has been consistently denying that Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed area. The people of the state have the right to a plebiscite to determine their future," the Hurriyat leader added.

Asked why none of the Hurriyat leaders had ever referred to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as a disputed area, Geelani said, "We have always been saying that Pakistan Occupied Kashmir is part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. When we talk about a solution of the problem of Jammu and Kashmir it would be included in the talks."

"Why do you want to go to Pakistan?" this correspondent asked Geelani. "Do you think the terrorists will listen to you and give up arms?" Hurriyat leaders plan to travel to Pakistan on January 15 to pave the way for talks between the Indian government and the extremists.

"I have already made it clear we are not going to ask those whom you call terrorists to give up violence. We are going to Pakistan so that we can talk to Pakistan which is also a party to the Kashmir dispute. We want this problem sorted out as early as possible," he said.

The Kashmir cease-fire: The complete coverage

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