A five-member civil society delegation led by senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Thursday met separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Geelani, in the wake of growing unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Mirwaiz, who met the delegation at his Srinagar residence, expressed his concern over “vicious media propaganda aimed at poisoning the minds of Indians and misleading them regarding the Kashmir dispute”.
“The Kashmir Valley is turned into a garrison where the civilians are held hostage. Security forces enjoy complete immunity from prosecution by law,” the Mirwaiz told the delegation. Situation is so frustrating that even young students are hitting the roads each day to resist the occupation,” the Mirwaiz told the delegation.
He also raised the issue of the Army Major, who used a local as a shield, with the delegation.
The separatist leader also asked the delegation “to shoulder the responsibility and inform the civil society of India and the people of India about the actual situation of Kashmir”.
‘Resolve Kashmir issue’
In his meeting, Mr. Geelani said there could be no peace in J&K and between India and Pakistan unless Kashmir is not resolved. “It’s unfortunate that the communal forces have taken the reins of New Delhi and are creating war hysteria,” said Mr. Geelani.
JKLF chief Yasin Malik refused to meet the civil society group.
The delegation, which also included O.P. Shah, Kapil Kak, Vinod Sharma and I.D Khajuria, met Governor N.N Vohra.
It apprised the Governor about their views regarding the restoration of peace in the State.
They strongly urged that a meaningful and uninterrupted dialogue with all stakeholders must be started without any further delay for bringing about sustained normalcy in the Kashmir Valley, said an official spokesman.
The Governor, according to the spokesman, appreciated the initiatives of the delegation and thanked for their valuable contribution towards the restoration of normalcy in the State.
