Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use his massive mandate “to play a decisive role in the resolution of the Kashmir issue”. “Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s oft-repeated offer of dialogue should be considered by the new dispensation in New Delhi as the way forward,” said the Mirwaiz in his address at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, where thousands of devotees offered prayers on the last Friday of Ramzan. “People of India overwhelmingly voted for Mr. Modi. This mandate gives PM Modi an opportunity and the power to play a decisive role in resolution of the issue. It is an opportune time to initiate political processes,” said the Mirwaiz.
He demanded that the Centre take Kashmir specific confidence-building measures like release of prisoners and revocation of laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act to create an atmosphere for dialogue.
Hurriyat leader addresses OIC on Kashmir
Meanwhile, a Hurriyat leader has addressed the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) 14th Islamic Summit in Saudi Arabia’s Makkah and called for its intervention “to help in ending rights violations in J&K and push for a final resolution of the Kashmir conflict”.
Abdullah Gilani, who represented Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Geelani, in his address to the OIC’s contact group on Kashmir said, “The OIC should take a serious note of all developments in J&K, including rights violations. It should intervene and prevail upon the United Nations to establish an internal commission of inquiry on Kashmir”.
The Hurriyat leader said the non-resolution of this “dispute has turned entire South Asian region into a tinderbox”.
“Only a couple of months ago, the world watched with awe and horror how an incident in Kashmir almost pushed the neighbours to the precipice of a nuclear confrontation. While the international community was able to douse the flames of war, the spark that triggers these flames every now and then continues to remain neglected,” Mr. Abdullah told the OIC.
The OIC meeting was attended by its Secretary General Dr Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, foreign ministers of Turkey and Pakistan and deputy foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Niger.
The meeting on Kashmir a day after Mr. Al-Othaimeen warned against “attempts to suppress or degrade Kashmir issue by linking it to terrorism, which is in violation of United Nations resolutions and International law”.
He also called for “a genuine dialogue between Pakistan and India to resume, which will be the best framework for addressing all outstanding issues, particularly the dispute.”
