M A I N   N E W S

Geelani no to PC’s talks offer
Ehsan Fazili
Tribune News Service

The Centre on Friday said it would resume the dialogue and asked the separatists, including Geelani, to join the effort. Chidambaram told the Rajya Sabha that the Centre was keen on fulfilling its promises, including those on the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act and reduction of security personnel in the state.

“I strongly reject the talks offer by the Indian Home Minister. It is a conspiracy to discredit me and an attempt to suppress the ongoing agitation for the right to self-determination,” he said.

He also said there was no question of softening his stand on Kashmir as was being projected in a “wrong way by New Delhi”.

Geelani had recently asked the youth not to attack police stations, public property like office buildings, roads, and railway stations.

Meanwhile, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat group, declined to make any comment on Chidambaram’s dialogue offer. However, PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti, in statement, claimed that even though the stone pelters have disappeared from the streets of Kashmir, following Geelani’s intervention, unarmed youth were still being shot dead by the security forces.

She said the Centre should take some “tangible measures” to restore confidence before initiating any talks.

The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front termed the offer as “sheer hypocrisy” and said “talks and killings can’t go together.” CPM state secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has welcomed the Prime Minister’s initiative to convene an all-party meeting on Kashmir.