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No consensus was reached on the dilution of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Jammu and Kashmir to control violence in the Valley at the all party meet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. At the meet it was decided that an all party delegation would visit the state to assess the ground situation before arriving at any decision. Expressing satisfaction over the result of the meeting, Union minister for new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah told the mediapersons that an all party delegation will visit the state. “The home ministry will organise the visit of the delegation and the state government will facilitate the delegation to meet the various groups. A meaningful dialogue must begin.” Abdullah also told the mediapersons that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has no trust deficit in Omar Abdullah’s government in Jammu and Kashmir. The opposition leader of J&K and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said that mere words are not enough. The government should take a concrete and not a cosmetic step forward in this direction. “Unconditional dialogue is crucial and separatists should be included in the talks to find a meaningful solution to the crisis.” Meanwhile, in a statement issued by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi urged all political parties to put aside their ideological and political differences. She said, “The challenge is too serious to allow differences to get in way.” Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday he was “shocked and distressed” by deadly protests in Indian-administered Kashmir and called for calm to enable talks on the crisis to take place. “I was shocked and distressed to see young men and women — even children —joining the protests on the streets,” Singh said at the opening of a meeting of political parties called to debate ways of easing tensions in the region. Leaders of India’s main political parties debated Wednesday whether to ease harsh security laws in Indian-administered Kashmir as the government searched for a strategy to end months of increasingly violent protests in the region. Under the laws, army officers in the region can search homes and make arrests without warrants, can shoot at anyone suspected of being a separatist and can blow up a building or a home on suspicion insurgents are using it. The fate of Kashmir is one of the most volatile issues facing India. Control of the territory is divided between India and Pakistan, which both lay claim to the whole region and have fought two wars over it.With no resolution in sight to the six decade dispute, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets over the past three summers, stoning troops and demanding independence from India or a merger with Pakistan. In the worst violence so far this year, 18 protesters were killed in street battles on Monday, exacerbated by reports of Quran desecration in the United States. In response, authorities slapped a round-the-clock curfew across the territory and threatened to shoot violators on sight. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with top politicians in New Delhi and appealed for ideas to end the violence. ‘’I have said this earlier and I say it again: The only path for lasting peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir is that of dialogue and discussion,’‘ he said. Singh accused separatist groups of orchestrating some of the violent protests, appealed for calm in the region and said the government was willing to talk to any group that did not espouse violence. The chances of reaching a consensus over Kashmir is extremely unlikely, with political leaders deeply divided over how to proceed. Kashmiri politicians, hoping to regain some credibility with their people, have pressed for the lifting of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the region. But some Cabinet ministers and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party oppose even a partial lifting of the law, which they say would lead to even more violence. ‘’We want peace to return to Kashmir. But it cannot return if separatists have a free hand and the army’s hands are tied,’‘ BJP leader Arun Jaitley said Wednesday. Even if the government agreed to lift the restrictions on Kashmir it would not necessarily appease separatist leaders. Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a leader of the umbrella grouping All Parties Hurriyat Conference, has demanded India declare Kashmir an international dispute, withdraw hundreds of thousands of troops from the region and release all political prisoners as a precondition for talks.
Leaders in Jammu and Kashmir have rejected the outcome of Wednesday's over five-hour-long All-Party meeting, unanimously terming the endeavor a futile and time buying exercise aimed to deny Kashmiris their inalienable right to self-determination.
The chairman of Hurriyat (Geelani) Syed Ali Shah Geelani termed it as a time gaining exercise.
He further said New Delhi and its allies in Kashmir have been creating much hype about the meeting.
"The outcome of the meeting was disappointing and negative for Kashmiris. The pro-India parties stuck to their traditional stand on Kashmir. I have no doubt to say that these meetings have proven to be futile rather time gaining exercise," Geelani said.
Geelani said it is high time for India and its allies in Kashmir to adopt a realistic approach to resolve the dispute.
"I also make it clear that the Conglomerate will not talk with the All Party Delegation during its visit to Kashmir. I reiterate that ongoing movement will continue till our five demands are implemented on ground," Geelani maintained.
Geelani rejected the statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the protests in Kashmir are instigated by apparently by the pro-freedom groups.
"New Delhi and the state government know the reality and they are trying to divert the attention from the ongoing agitation by blaming pro-freedom parties for violence," he said.
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik termed the all party meeting a futile exercise.
Malik said in the past 63 years the Kashmir dispute has consumed three generations.
"In 90s, guns were the reference points and it internationally highlighted the Kashmir dispute. After guns, there was a transition of the Kashmiris' movement into a peaceful stage. However, New Delhi has kept the movement lingering at the cost of Kashmiris," Malik said.
He said instead of acknowledging the sacrifices of Kashmiris, the All Party Meeting has left no stone unturned to appease the communal and anti-Kashmir parties.
"The meeting took place at a time when Kashmiris are being killed with impunity and whole Valley is continuously reeling under curfew," he said.
Castigating the BJP for opposing revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Malik said when the party was in power, it engaged even the militant leadership for resolving the Kashmir dispute.
"This shows the BJP's hypocrisy. It is playing politics on the blood of Kashmiris," he said.
Malik warned that if India delays the resolution of the dispute, Kashmiris will be forced to take violent recourse.
"Instead of these futile meetings, India should on priority resolve the dispute taking the aspirations of Kashmiris into consideration. Delaying the vexed issue will have dangerous consequences," Malik maintained.
The chairman of Hurriyat (M), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed the All Party Meeting as a façade to hoodwink the international community and Kashmiris.
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The chairman of Hurriyat (Geelani) Syed Ali Shah Geelani termed it as a time gaining exercise.
He further said New Delhi and its allies in Kashmir have been creating much hype about the meeting.
"The outcome of the meeting was disappointing and negative for Kashmiris. The pro-India parties stuck to their traditional stand on Kashmir. I have no doubt to say that these meetings have proven to be futile rather time gaining exercise," Geelani said.
Geelani said it is high time for India and its allies in Kashmir to adopt a realistic approach to resolve the dispute.
"I also make it clear that the Conglomerate will not talk with the All Party Delegation during its visit to Kashmir. I reiterate that ongoing movement will continue till our five demands are implemented on ground," Geelani maintained.
Geelani rejected the statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the protests in Kashmir are instigated by apparently by the pro-freedom groups.
"New Delhi and the state government know the reality and they are trying to divert the attention from the ongoing agitation by blaming pro-freedom parties for violence," he said.
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik termed the all party meeting a futile exercise.
Malik said in the past 63 years the Kashmir dispute has consumed three generations.
"In 90s, guns were the reference points and it internationally highlighted the Kashmir dispute. After guns, there was a transition of the Kashmiris' movement into a peaceful stage. However, New Delhi has kept the movement lingering at the cost of Kashmiris," Malik said.
He said instead of acknowledging the sacrifices of Kashmiris, the All Party Meeting has left no stone unturned to appease the communal and anti-Kashmir parties.
"The meeting took place at a time when Kashmiris are being killed with impunity and whole Valley is continuously reeling under curfew," he said.
Castigating the BJP for opposing revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Malik said when the party was in power, it engaged even the militant leadership for resolving the Kashmir dispute.
"This shows the BJP's hypocrisy. It is playing politics on the blood of Kashmiris," he said.
Malik warned that if India delays the resolution of the dispute, Kashmiris will be forced to take violent recourse.
"Instead of these futile meetings, India should on priority resolve the dispute taking the aspirations of Kashmiris into consideration. Delaying the vexed issue will have dangerous consequences," Malik maintained.
The chairman of Hurriyat (M), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed the All Party Meeting as a façade to hoodwink the international community and Kashmiris.
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