SRINAGAR, May 7: Moderate separatist leaders in Kashmir are jousting among themselves after a senior leader and the former president of their group made a comment, which many among them felt was “detrimental to the Kashmir cause”.
“The National Conference talks of autonomy and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) –both mainstream political parties-talk of self-rule. Why should not we move together with a common minimum political agenda and push it ahead,” Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat had told a separatist public meeting in Batengoo, Sopore on Sunday.
Today (Monday) various separatist leaders gathered to criticise the statement, which also mentioned that the resolutions passed on Kashmir by the United Nations were no longer applicable.
Taking a dig at Bhat, senior leader of the Hurriyat Conference (M), Nayeem Ahmed Khan told reporters, “They have no mandate to redirect or misdirect the movement. The Hurriyat has a constitution and those who do not follow the constitution have no place in the Hurriyat Conference”.
Khan said that the ruling National Conference and the PDP were talking of autonomy and the self-rule only to “consolidate India’s rule in Kashmir”.
“There is no solution to the Kashmir problem without giving the people their inalienable right of self-determination,” he said.
“If some leaders are now tired, they must step aside and allow the people to take their struggle to logical conclusion.”
Another separatist leader, Mohammed Azam Inquilabi of Mahazi-e-Azadi, who also opposed the statement made by Bhat has called for the formation of a ‘resistance council’ where all “freedom-seeking parties have equal rights to speak and participate in debate and discussion aimed at giving the struggle a new vigour”.
“The ball is now in the court of Mirwaiz (chairman of the Hurriyat) to come clean on the issue and clear the confusion created by Bhat’s statement,” a news agency quoted Inquilabi.
