The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) on Wednesday indicated that it was ready for talks if the “government of India comes up with a meaningful offer of a dialogue process for resolution of the Kashmir issue.”
In a statement issued after the JKLF's executive council meeting chaired by chairman Yasin Malik, its spokesman said “it will consider it [such an offer] and deliberate over it carefully.” The meeting was called to discuss the 8-point formula announced by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
“The JKLF will wait to see what the government of India eventually proposes and then — at that time — we will carefully assess what our reaction should be. However, we feel we should be prepared in case this turns out to be a serious move by the government of India to begin a process of negotiations to resolve the Kashmir dispute,” the statement said.
“As far as seven of the eight points are concerned, Congress spokesperson and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chauhan stated that these are not for separatist leaders. So there is no requirement for us to comment on these points,” the JKLF spokesman said.
To the eighth point of “process of sustained dialogue,” he said the JKLF was ready to engage in a meaningful and irreversible process of sincere, purposeful and serious negotiations.
“But they should be designed to avoid the failures of the past and they should be for a lasting political solution to the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and acceptable to both India and Pakistan,” he said.
“Kashmiris are the primary party to the Kashmir dispute and our interests and aspirations are of paramount importance,” the statement said, adding “each and every Kashmiri is individually a victim of this dispute. We have a national responsibility to each other to safeguard our interests as a people. We should be able to respond in a meaningful and effective way that is in accordance with the principles and values of our freedom struggle.”
He said the JKLF would explore the possibility of a consensus on the issue of dialogue.
