Talk to New Delhi, Omar tells separatists

J&K Chief Minister says parleys are the only way forward

December 05, 2010 06:49 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 05:31 am IST - Srinagar

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday asked the separatists not to shy away from dialogue with New Delhi as “parleys are the only way forward.”

Speaking during the birth anniversary function of his grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Mr. Abdullah asked the separatists to come forward for talks.

“They [separatists] should face no hindrance in talking to New Delhi as they have talked to parliamentarians,” he said, referring to the recent meetings between separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik and Shabir Shah and a delegation of parliamentarians and civil society members.

Mr. Abdullah said gunfights and stone-pelting had taken a toll on the people of the State. “The violence of guns and stones has caused severe damage to Kashmir in the past 20 years, but whatever target they [separatists] have can't be achieved by burning school buses or stone pelting,” he said.

“We obviously have our own ways to achieve the target, but in that process people should not suffer. I want to tell Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik that at least we can agree on the issue that people should not get sandwiched in between,” he said.

Recalling the “sacrifices” of his grand father, Mr. Abdullah said that he had preferred to remain in prison but did not leave his people to suffer. “My grandfather preferred to be in exile in the interests of the people,” he said.

“I am the one who took the book of autonomy to Islamabad. I told the people of Pakistan that I am from the National Conference and I contest elections from India. I presented a book of autonomy to the people in Pakistan,” Mr. Abdullah said. “Similarly, I presented autonomy to New Delhi.”

‘Political issue'

Taking a dig at the Hurriyat leadership, he asked them why they have hesitated to meet Indian leaders when they had no problem meeting the Pakistani High Commissioner in New Delhi.

“I have time and again said that Kashmir is a political issue which needs a political solution. We have always highlighted the importance of settling all issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir through a sustained internal and external dialogue process. Our endeavour in this direction will continue,” Mr. Abdullah said.

Union Minister Farooq Abdullah and the top leadership of the National Conference were present at the mausoleum of Sheikh Abdullah to pay tributes to him.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.