Chandigarh, November 25
All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Bilal Lone were roughed up by the activists of Hindu right-wing organisations and displaced Kashmiri Pandits for allegedly making anti-India remarks at a seminar here today.

In the city to address the seminar on “Kashmir problem in reference to Indo-Pak relations”, Mirwaiz was the one to be manhandled first while he was delivering a speech at Kisan Bhavan. Later, Lone, too, was assaulted. The event was organised by the Internationalist Democratic Party.

According to eyewitnesses, Mirwaiz fell from his chair as he was punched by the activists. While police personnel and organisers came to the separatist leaders’ rescue, the activists indulged in vandalism inside and outside the auditorium, smashing window panes and breaking flower pots.

It was only after additional police force was requisitioned that the situation could

be brought under control. The police later arrested about 15 right-wing activists.

But the drama did not end here. The activists, including BJP workers, later held a protest outside Sector 36 police station, demanding the registration of a sedition case against Mirwaiz.

Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Police has come under criticism for not being able to gauge the threat perception to the separatist leaders, as only a handful of personnel were deployed at the venue.

Addressing the seminar, Mirwaiz termed Kashmir as a “dispute that India and Pakistan must sit together to find a solution to, which suited the aspirations of the people of the state”.

Emphasising on a four-point roadmap for creating a conducive atmosphere for a meaningful dialogue, the separatist leader demanded the repealing of “draconian” laws, including the Public Security Act and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, gradual demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir, setting up of an independent agency to probe custodial deaths and human rights violations and a political solution to the Kashmir crisis.

Answering a query, Mirwaiz said these were not the “pre-conditions but only a roadmap for creating a conducive atmosphere for a meaningful dialogue”. ”Hurriyat Conference’s stated position on the right to self-determination is well-known and the four-point formula can go a long way in finding solution to the Kashmir issue according to people’s aspirations,” he said. On the rehabilitation of the former militants, Mirwaiz said “cosmetic measures” will not restore peace in the Valley.

About today’s attack, Mirwaiz asserted that such incidents would not suppress separatists’ voice and they would continue to reach out to the Indian citizens to put across their viewpoint. ” Let the police take action against the culprits,” he added.