Coming Hurriyat visit to Pak not fruitful in absence
of consensus: Sallah-u-Din
Syed
Sallah-u-Din, chairman United Jehad Council (UJC) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM)
supremo, today said the coming visit of Hurriyat Conference leaders to
Pakistan, would not be fruitful in absence of a consensus among the separatists.
He described as need of the hour the framing of a common strategy and joint
programme by the separatists. “Unless and until the two factions of the Hurriyat Conference along
with the other resistance leaders devise a mutual programme and a common strategy
after reaching a consensus, their Pakistan visit is not going to be beneficial.
If they have a common policy and speak in one voice, then only will be their
visits and interactions with Pakistani leadership meaningful and decisive. Even
if they remain in separate fora, a joint programme and common strategy will
give weight to their voice,” said Sallah-u-Din in a telephonic interview
with a local news agency, KNS adding “However, since the Hurriyat has been
invited to Pakistan, it is their right to decide on visiting the country and
accepting the invitation. Whosoever visits Pakistan and in whatever number, the
visit should not be a mere photo opportunity.
The UJC chairman asked the civil
society including Bar Association, and religious scholars to play their role in
convincing the separatist leadership to devise a common strategy for taking the
ongoing freedom movement to its logical end. He said that consensus among
resistance leadership was a precondition for them to be able to convince India,
Pakistan and international community on their view point. On the ongoing
election process for the four legislative council seats in the state,
Sallah-u-Din said India was wrongly projecting elections in the state as
expression of will by people and appealed to Panches and Sarpanches to stay
away from the process. “For the sake of sacrifices offered by more than five
lakh Kashmiris, if the panches and sarpanches have a conscience or have even
one bit of sympathy for the freedom movement, they should stay away from anti-movement
activities,” said the UJC chief adding “Although they project them (panchayat
members) and the elections as non-political, yet Indian prime minister and
foreign minister equate them with a referendum in favour of India. Local
pro-India political parties are cheating the panches and sarpanches and pushing
them toward treachery with their people, however, they should decide for
themselves and stay away from elections,” he added.
While stressing that Kashmiris
would uphold their centuries old tradition of hospitality and always welcome
the Amarnath Yatris, the Hizb supremo called the “construction of concrete
road leading to the Amarnath cave and development of infrastructure as an
effort to harm the “muslim-majority-character” of the Jammu and Kashmir state.
“We are neither against Yatra nor against the yatris and Kashmiris have proven
that over so many years,” he said adding that the leadership, civil society
and common people in Kashmir should start a united struggle against the
government’s move to build roads and setting up infrastructure. He said the
Supreme Court’s directions to lay tiles on the Amarnath track will finally lead
to building hotels, guest houses, hospitals and a macademized road along the
route. Drawing parallels with the Israeli occupation of Palestine, he said,
“The aim of such an exercise is to alter the demography of the state”, and
added, “Kashmiris are being projected as communal
outside whereas the fact is that there has not even been one communal clash in
the entire history of Kashmir as against many pogroms of Muslims in rest of
India, not even one non-Muslim brother was harmed in Kashmir.”
Asserting that militant struggle
was an indispensable part of the freedom movement, Sallah-u-Din exhorted upon
the separatist leaders to “stop needlessly repeating the mantra of ‘peaceful
struggle’ time and again”. “With great
humility, I request the Hurriyat leadership and other separatist leaders to
stop repeating the term peaceful struggle needlessly. They know history better
than me and I would want to know which military occupation ended by a mere
peaceful struggle. They (separatists) should not give people a false hope that
the Indian military occupation will end through a peaceful struggle. As is
evident from Iraq,Afghanisatan and Vietnam, militaries in the past have only
left countries through armed struggles,” UJC chairman stressed. “Military occupations do not end merely through political
struggle, conferences or seminars. The political leadership has been fighting
on political and diplomatic fronts, however, they should not dissuade youth
from the armed struggle. They should leave the armed struggle to the youth and
hold their forte on political front,” the UJC chairman said, adding, “India is
strengthening its military occupation in the state by upgrading rail, road and
communication networks apart from illegally occupying agricultural and
horticultural land including tourist resorts.”
Hizb supremo cautioned the state
and central governments against hanging of 2001 parliament attack convict Afzal
Guru saying “it would cost them dearly”. “Like lakhs of Maqbools were born
after hanging of Shaheed Maqbool Bhat, thousands of Afzals will be born if they
repeat the mistake”, he added.
Sallah-u-Din expressed serious
concern over the plight of Kashmiri detainees in various jails in and outside
the state. The UJC Chief accused the authorities of providing unhealthy,
unhygienic and sub-standard food to the jailed leaders and activists, in an
effort to harm their lives. “They are being deprived of medical aid and other
basic amenities in jails”, he said while appealing people especially
leadership, Bar Associations and human rights organizations to come to the
rescue of detainees.
He said the Indian judiciary,
including the Supreme Court, works under the influence of the political
leadership. While terming the repeated slapping of Public Safety Act against
Masrat Alam Bhat and decision of lifelong detention of Dr Qasim Faktoo as
atrocious and illegal, the Hizb chief accused the Indian judiciary of being
biased against Kashmiri inmates. “If they were not biased, then the culprits in
different massacres and killings like Gandebal, Chitisinghpora, Pathribal and
Machil would not have been roaming free till date,” he added.
Describing people and the civil
society as the driving force behind any struggle, the UJC chairman said taking
the civil society into confidence was in the interest of the ongoing struggle.
“People are the real power which decides the fate of movements. Whether the
leadership goes to Pakistan, India or remains active in Kashmir, evolving a
consensus after due consultations with opinionated people is in the interest of
the freedom movement. There is no harm in consultations with people or the
civil society at any stage.”
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