Jammu, August 20
The chairman of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, has called for an international commission to probe into the recent massacres in various parts of the state.
After a fortnight long absence from the political scene owing to illness, Prof Bhat said “I will be doing injustice to my conscience and to myself” if either the militants or the security agencies were held responsible for these massacres. He said it was better to get these incidents probed by an international commission because he did not believe in the “stories dished out” by government agencies that the carnages were committed by militants.
To a question, he said it was equally unfair if those engaged in the “freedom” struggle were dubbed as “crossborder terrorists.” He said those who did so had their eyes shut to the “stark reality”.
He explained that the Government of India had ignored the historical reasons for the Kashmir dispute and the pledges made by successive ruling leaders to the people of Kashmir.
Without naming the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, who has been favouring a limited war against Pakistan, Prof Bhat said those who were talking in terms of resolving the Kashmir issue militarily had lost sight of one important factor — that by now Pakistan too, had become a nuclear power.
He said if given the space and time, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf would be able to resolve the Kashmir tangle. To a question if it was necessary to involve the APHC or representatives of Kashmiris in future parleys on Kashmir, Prof Bhat replied. “Yas kori khaander, su koor lobran naakhai chobran tamblawaan” (The girl who has been married is collecting dung and the boys are indulging in merry-making).
Explaining the nuances behind this Kashmiri expression, the Hurriyat Chief said the fate of the valley was to be decided and it “cannot be done without her consent”.
The Hurriyat leader said it was in this context that he had suggested to the Government of India to allow the Hurriyat team to visit Pakistan, but permission was not granted. “Delhi had raised a furore over our meeting with General Musharraf in Delhi but the skies did not fall after our meeting with the President, he remarked.
He reiterated that the issue would have to be resolved through talks. “Let the two sides keep talking and the day is not far when the conflict will be resolved,” he said, adding that the Government of India should give up its belligerent posture.
Prof Bhat regretted that the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani’s recent statement had simply complicated the dialogue process. He said if Mr Vajpayee was given a freehand, he would be able to resolve the issue within a year or two.
He said like General Musharraf, Mr Vajpayee, too, should have replied to “our letter.” He made it clear that if the Government of India believed that we may talk to someone else than the Prime Minister, they are mistaken.
“We will talk only with Mr Vajpayee and General Musharraf and none else,” he added.
