How do you react to the criticism launched by the four militantsagainst the Hurriyat?
I feel it was totally uncalled for and immature. It was the movementthat made them what they are. They should realise that they are nobodies outside themovement. They will ultimately become irrelevant.
What motivated them to speak out against the Hurriyat?
It is definitely an Indian game. Look at the timing of the statement.It comes a little before the elections.What they (the four militants) have done will helpthe Congress party and Narasimha Rao claim that progress has been made in solving theKashmir problem.
You dismiss the stand taken by the militants as a non-issue.
It certainly is a non-issue in Kashmir. No one is talking about it. Itis the Indian Government and the Indian media which are getting excited about it. We seenothing relevant in what they have said. There is no basis in any of their allegations.
But at one point you too were critical of the Hurriyat.
Yes, I have criticised its functioning. But thereis a difference in being critical ofan organisa-tion you belong to and diluting the stand it has taken. We have beenmaintaining that bilateral talks cannot work and they have gone ahead and said that theyare willing to hold bilateral talks. This is not criticism. This is going against thestand that we have all agreedupon. In any case, if they sincerely wanted to criticise us,they could have come to us and not gone to the press.
Do you feel that the Hurriyat has been playing a relevant role?
The Hurriyat is very relevant. And it has succeeded in highlighting theKashmir problem at the international level. It will continue to play a significant role inthe future.
What if the four militants go ahead and talk with the Government?
There are no short-cut methods. All bilateral talks have failed in thepast. In any case, what they (the militants) do or not do is of no consequence.
