Other States - Jammu & Kashmir   

No better solution than autonomy, says Omar

Special Correspondent

New Delhi, Islamabad have corrupted Hurriyat: Yasin Malik

SRINAGAR: Few people would have imagined that a mainstream party leader in Kashmir would draw cheers from the audience when sharing the dais with a formidable separatist leader on the question of what could be the future of the state.

At an interactive session, National Conference president Omar Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik explained their stand on the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

Mr. Abdullah threw a challenge that if anyone from the separatist camp convinced him of a better solution in Kashmir other than autonomy (his party's stand), he would "willingly join their ranks."

"If someone convinces me of a better solution than autonomy I'll think over it but I can't convince my people on hollow slogans," he said, referring to the stand of those who demand "accession to Pakistan". He said: "We don't have friends in New Delhi or Islamabad. New Delhi is dividing the people and it wants leaders to emerge from every street of Kashmir".

Complete independence

Mr. Malik reiterated the stand of "complete independence from both India and Pakistan."

Around 300 students who formed the audience raised queries. On one occasion both Mr. Omar Abdullah and Mr. Malik agreed that some among the separatist leaders were "morally and materially corrupt".

"Both New Delhi and Islamabad have corrupted the Hurriyat leadership and when people are corrupted, materially and morally, they start talking nonsense," Mr. Malik said, responding to Mr. Abdullah's view that "the movement launched in 1989 was later on corrupted, both from within and outside."

The NC president, who is also a member of Parliament acknowledged the `sacrifices' by thousands of people during the 16 years since the inception of the "armed resistance movement". "Every single Kashmiri who has died during these years has made a sacrifice. That is why I'm saying a solution is necessary for Kashmir. And if a better solution emerges out of this 16-year-old bloodshed I'm ready for it," he said.

"If J&K can be made free do it, we'll have no problem. But our freedom threatens their (India and Pakistan) freedom," Mr. Abdullah said.

In response to that argument, Mr. Malik said: "When India and Pakistan decide about the future of Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmiris as a nation feel humiliated." The JKLF chief said that Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah

(grandfather of Omar) led the resistance movement until 1975 when he signed an accord with Indira Gandhi. "The armed struggle was an off-shoot of that movement" he said.

Mr. Abdullah praised Mr. Malik's signature campaign saying that he would have loved to launch it himself. "The idea was to seek participation of the people in the final settlement of the Kashmir issue and that is fine," he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

No better solution than autonomy, says Omar
Benefits of peace should be felt: dialogue group
Security around Vaishno Devi cave to be strengthened

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu