Ruling People’s Democratic Party Saturday described coalition government’s decision to lift curbs on the movement of three top separatist leaders of Kashmir including Syed Ali Geelani as a welcome move.
PDP general secretary Peerzada Mansoor said, democracy is battle of ideas and the government decision to “free separatists including Syed Ali Geelani is” a welcome measure.
“The Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) must be initiated at an earliest and the PDP would play a vital role in transforming Jammu and Kashmir into a hub of peace and prosperity”, he said, asking for dialogue between India and Pakistan.
The PDP, however, appealed Geelani “to play role in stopping the mayhem and bloodshed in Kashmir”. It said the youth of the state “must be guided in a proper way so that their valuable talent could be channelized in a proper direction.”
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“The precious lives of youth attain more significance than anything else for us. Jobs, growth and development would only be possible if youth are allowed to live with honour and dignity. I appeal Syed Ali Geelani to play a vital role and become part of the dialogue process so that state that could be saved from treading towards the brink of destruction and chaos,” said the PDP general secretary.
The PDP accused opposition National Conference that “whenever the NC has come to power in the state, peoples’ lives have been devastated in a most ruthless manner.”
“From Maqbool Bhat to Afzal Guru, it is NC and its legacy that makes peace alien to the people and corruption the central theme of governance in the state,” he said.
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Separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani Friday was allowed to offer Friday prayers at a mosque near his home in Hyderpora after eight years. The separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Muhammad Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, however, have been barred from making “anti-national” speeches as curbs were lifted from their movement.
However, Geelani, in the first appearance in a mosque at Hyderpora said that “Delhi’s rule in Kashmir has always been temporary and it will go one day”.
On Friday morning the policemen deployed outside Geelani’s residence to keep him under house arrest informed his men that he was free to offer Friday prayers.
The 88-year-old ailing separatist leader addressing Friday congregation said he wants to convey New Delhi that Kashmiris are for peace and seek a peaceful resolution to the long- pending issue.
“India needs to fulfil its promise of giving Kashmiris their right to self-determination to choose their future,” he said. Jammu & Kashmir, Geelani said, is the disputed territory, which needs a resolution in accordance with the UN resolutions. "India is suffering from the arrogance of power and is using an imperialistic and forced attitude in the disputed territory of J&K”, Geelani said.
While as Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in his Friday sermon at the Jamia Mosque in the old city said 70 years of political struggle of Kashmiris bear testimony that those, who betrayed the people's trust, are equally responsible for the prevailing situation. Mirwaiz described the NIA investigations against separatists as a drama to intimidate leadership and dishearten people and disillusion them from their just political movement and leadership.
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Pro-independence Jammu Kashmir liberation front (JKLF) chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik also addressed gathering on Saturday asking people to remember the “sacrifices” people gave for “Kashmir struggle.”
