Yes. A lot of people have been privately raising doubts about the effectiveness of the Hurriyat. I am glad that the four boys (militants) had the guts to speak out.
The Hurriyat has branded the militants as Indian agents.
There is no basis for that charge. What the boys said was that it is time we solved the issue. And that we could start by talking to India without compromising our stand. What's wrong with talking to India? If we go by the argument ofsome of the members of the Hurriyat, then we can call those who met Atal Behari Vajpayee agents of the BJP.
What are the shortcomings of the Hurriyat?
It is not the umbrella organisation that it claims to be. It is a seven-person party. The seven are those on its executive committee. And they are merely promoting their own interests. They have to realise that every militant movement has to finally come to the negotiating table.
The Hurriyat feels there is no alternative other than a tripartite meeting involving itself, India and Pakistan.
We cannot wait for that to happen. Times have changed. No one is interested in Kashmir any more. There are 55 Muslim countries in the world and they are all trading with India. Why are there no sanctions against India? There is no point looking to the outside world for a solution. Neither can we wait for Pakistan to deliver us from the situation. The people of Kashmir have to resolve the crisis themselves.
