Indian lawmakers snubbed by Kashmiri leaders

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

* APHC leaders refuse to meet 40 Indian lawmakers visiting IHK

* Mirwaiz Umar Farooq describes visit as ‘facade, joke’

SRINAGAR: A group of Indian lawmakers visiting Indian-held Kashmir was snubbed by Kashmiri leaders on Monday, dealing a blow to New Delhi’s hopes of dialogue to resolve the escalating crisis.

The visit of 40 lawmakers from all major Indian national parties was derided by the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) as a publicity stunt.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq described the Indian lawmakers’ visit as “a facade, a joke”.

“They have converted the entire Kashmir region into a prison and now a delegation has been sent to meet the besieged people,” Farooq said.

He, like fellow Yasin Malik, declined to meet with the delegation, headed by Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram.

The APHC proposed setting up committees comprising leaders from both India and Pakistan as a way forward in resolving the decades-old Kashmir dispute.

“On our part, we are ready and willing to engage and sustain in a meaningful and irreversible process of dialogue and jointly develop and implement a solution to the Kashmir dispute that is acceptable to all sides - India, Pakistan and the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” said a memorandum sent to the Indian lawmakers.

“We are wary that your visit, however well-intentioned, represents only an effort at a short-term crisis management, and that there is no clear commitment to a path toward effective resolution of the Kashmir issue,” the memorandum added.

However, five members of the delegation were able to meet with Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Geelani said talks could only be held if India accepted that Kashmir was an international dispute, released all political prisoners and started the withdrawal of hundreds of thousands of troops from the region. “It’s a dream to restore normalcy unless India accepts this proposal. We will not surrender,” he said.

Earlier, the entire delegation led by Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram met separately with representatives of local pro-India groups, including IHK’s ruling National Conference party and the opposition People’s Democratic Party.

It was not immediately known what transpired at those meetings. agencies