SRINAGAR (ONS) – Goading the separatist camp to forge unity within itself for effective representation of the people, leading civil society members from North Kashmir on Tuesday pulled the Hurriyat leadership up for ignoring problems facing commoners, saying this had given mainstream parties the gap to come closer to the masses.
In yet another round of the Hurriyat (M)s public consultations today ahead of its Pakistan visit, intellectuals, lawyers and traders from the valleys north stressed that the trip should not be a mere formality, but a meaningful and result-oriented exercise with a clear-cut strategy.
Around 50 delegates from the northern districts deliberated with the top Hurriyat (M) leadership, including Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, and Bilal Ghani Lone, at the alliance headquarters, with several suggesting that the proposed forthcoming trip be deferred until after general elections in Pakistan.
Supporters of the visit urged the Hurriyat (M) to speed up its consultation process and broaden it up, taking the people into confidence before any step so that no misgivings remain within the public.
The Hurriyat (M) should not go for talks with India or Pakistan at command or request, but stress on the primacy of the Kashmiri people as a party to the Kashmir issue, they said.
During the four-hour-long interaction, the Hurriyat (M) leaders said that during the visit, they would convey to the Pak leadership the disappointment among the people here over giving the Kashmir issue a secondary status in the talks process between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Replying to demands from the delegates that the alliance divulge the full details of its Pak trip on its return, the Hurriyat leaders said that its process of comprehensive consultation had been launched with the purpose of keeping the public fully informed.
In his speech, the Mirwaiz said that the Hurriyat (M) was active on the political and diplomatic fronts at the domestic and international levels to get the Kashmir issue resolved according to the peoples aspirations, and that due to its efforts, the just struggle of the Kashmiris was being commended across the globe.
The international community is not just building pressure on the parties, but also stressing that resolving the Kashmir issue was imperative for lasting peace and stability in the South Asian region, the Mirwaiz said.
Together with its political dimensions, our movement has social and economic dimensions, and their importance with respect to a resolution to the Kashmir issue cannot be diminished under any circumstances, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Ghani stressed on moving forward with resolving the Kashmir issue by understanding the question in view of the changed geo-political scenario.
Our Pakistan visit will serve to further highlight the importance of the Kashmir issue, and reinforce the status of Kashmiris as the masters of their land, he said.
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