SRINAGAR, Feb 12 (2001) – Kashmir’s main separatist alliance said on Monday that “some people” in both India and Pakistan were trying to derail a peace initiative in the strife-torn Himalayan region, but did not identify them.
“Hurriyat Conference regrets that there are some people in India and Pakistan who intentionally or unintentionally have adopted an approach which is derailing the peace process,” an All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference statement said.
The statement was issued after a meeting of Hurriyat executive members in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
India announced the start of a ceasefire in the restive territory last November 28 for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The ceasefire has been extended twice despite continued action by militant separatists.
Last month, the Hurriyat accused Home (Interior) Minister Lal Krishna Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes and Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah of derailing the initiative.
The Hurriyat, which bands 22 groups in Kashmir, also accused the government of dragging its feet over the Hurriyat’s move to send a team to Pakistan to push forward the peace initiative.
“Unfortunately, there was no follow-up action from the government of India, giving the impression that the Indian government is not serious about the (peace) process,” it said.
In December, the Hurriyat said it planned to send a five-member delegation to Pakistan. But India has yet to issue passports to four members of the delegation.
“We could have tried to achieve cooperation from all levels in Pakistan to convert the unilateral ceasefire into a comprehensive ceasefire, to find the way towards a permanent solution of Kashmir,” the statement added.
Most of the militant groups fighting New Delhi’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir have rejected the ceasefire from their headquarters in Pakistan and have intensified attacks on Indian security forces.
