Hurriyat rejected Mehbooba invitation to join all-party talk
SRINAGAR: The Hurriyat has rejected the invitation to join the talks with the all-party delegation from Delhi, that was extended by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in her capacity as the chief of People’s Democratic Party.
A statement issued by Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Faoooq and Yasin Malik said the delegation from Delhi has not “spelt out its mandate” and has no clear agenda of engagement. Ms Mufti’s letter had reached out to the three leaders, but Mr Geelani’s office had refused to accept it, sources said. While most parties including the Congress and the Left had been in favour of inviting the Hurriyat, no formal invitation had been sent by the Central government.
Even though Hurriyat, whose leaders have been under house arrest or in jail, had taken the position of no dialogue in the present circumstances, back-channel efforts were on to reach out to the group. “Track-II only prolong the sufferings of the people and can’t take the place of a genuine transparent agenda-based dialogue,” Hurriyat’s statement read today.
National Conference chief Omar Abdullah had criticized the efforts of Ms Mufti, saying the government should have released the separatist leaders from house arrest if she was serious about talks.The all-party delegation, which reached Srinagar this morning, held separate meetings with Ms Mufti and Mr Abdullah’s parties. Thereafter, through the day, they will meet the mainstream parties at the Sher-E-Kashmir auditorium.
“We intend to talk to individuals and groups who want peace and normalcy in Kashmir Valley,” Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said before departure.Dozens of people, meanwhile, were injured in violence in Kashmir’s Shopian. Thousands of protesters had taken to the streets as security forces foiled a protest march called by separatists this morning. The protesters set an administrative complex on fire.
Turmoil has been raging in the Valley for the last 58 days, since the death of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, in which nearly 70 people have died and more than 5,000 have been injured.
