Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first Kashmir outreach since the death of Hizb commander Burhan Wani on July 8 set off widespread street protests, where he stressed that issues be addressed through “democracy, development and dialogue”, has failed to enthuse either the separatists or the mainstream parties in the Valley.
Separatist JKLF chief Yasin Malik described Mr. Modi’s Kashmir remarks as “illogical”.
“It’s an old ploy of the Indian leaders to deny reality and call millions of Kashmiris, demanding Azadi, as ‘some misled people’” said Mr. Malik, who remains behind bars for 32 days now.
Mr. Malik said any struggle for freedom “demands sacrifices” and added, “People have to prepare for a long tedious journey.”
‘No real dialogue’
Both Hurriyat factions, headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani, were planning a fresh strategy and a joint stand to the Prime Minister’s remarks as they see no ‘real dialogue’ taking place.
"It's ridiculous and irresponsible of Mr. Modi to look at the Kashmir issue through his fake rhetoric of development. We are financially much better than most of the States in India. India has in fact deprived us of our own resources,” said Mr. Geelani.
“The speech was bereft of any concrete measure. It only reflected arrogance on part of the PM. We were expecting immediate CBMs and admission of the fact that Kashmir is a political problem and requires a political approach. The development mantra has failed for six decades now,” said a senior moderate Hurriyat leader on condition of anonymity.
In a similar vein, former Chief Minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah said on Twitter: “Herein lies the crux of the problem: the unwillingness to accept that development doesn't solve all problems.”
