SRINAGAR : Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Mohammad Yasin Malik said on Wednesday that he would not take part in the third roundtable conference on Kashmir.

At a crowded press conference on his return from Pakistan, he said he got an invitation to the third roundtable on Wednesday when the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar visited his house. "But we have made our stand clear at two roundtable conferences and we stick to that."

Asking India and Pakistan to take steps to involve Kashmiris in the peace process, he cautioned that the next generation of Kashmiris would become `fidayeen' (suicide bombers) if that did not happen. He said he would launch "Safr-e-Azadi" (Journey for Freedom) from Daksum village on May 6 to seek people's involvement in his campaign for a role for Kashmiris in the decision-making process. There could be no solution without involving the genuine leadership of Kashmir in the talks, he said.

There should be a Naga-type dialogue process and this (the roundtable) would not serve any purpose, he felt.

"Involve militants too"

He said the militant leadership too must be involved in the peace process. "There is a lot of talk about demilitarisation. But I tell you, it will take 24 hours to demilitarise Kashmir if you genuinely talk to the militant leaders." But unfortunately, the demilitarisation slogan was being politicised. "This issue needs to be discussed with the militants."

Mr. Malik said that the peace process had been on for four years, but the Kashmiri people were not represented. "When the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service was launched, I said it is oxygen for the peace process. But this decision was also taken by Delhi and Islamabad."

Asking India and Pakistan to resolve the issue and not dissolve it, Mr. Malik said "if both countries continue to ignore the Kashmiris, this will give birth to a generation of fidayeen [suicide-bombers]." This was not a threat but a concern.

Mr. Malik said only the resolution of the Kashmir issue would ensure peace and development in South Asia. He wanted to send a message to western diplomats that the Kashmiris supported the peace process. ``But where is the place for us in this process?"

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