An Enigma

He said Ministers and MLAs behaved like “casual labourers” at SKICC. “First, India is telling us to present our demands through democratic means. I’m an elected representative. But I was put under house arrest when I wanted to do it democratically. I want to ask India why it doesn’t use the same yardstick to measure things when we use constitutional methods to present our demands?” he asked.

Professor Saif-u-din-Soz refutes the allegations saying, that everybody met Manmohan Singh and put forth his viewpoints without any hesitation. “We are part of a democracy where problems are sorted out through dialogue but to claim that PM did not make any commitments is absolutely wrong,” he reportedly said.

Even the ruling alliance differed on Prime Minister’s visit to Kashmir with National Conference saying that people observed shutdown on PM’s visit to express their anger against Delhi while Congress termed Singh’s visit a success.

“I congratulate people of valley for observing shutdown during PM’s visit to Kashmir. People observed shutdown to express their anger against New Delhi,” NC Additional General Secretary Mustafa Kamal reportedly said.

“For NC his (PM) visit was a disappointment. We had many expectations from him and believed that he would make a commitment about the return of Dul Hasti Power Project to the state and appeal Hurriyat to come across the table. Everything proved wrong and it is a fact that Prime Minister failed to deliver the goods,” National Conference senior leader and member parliament, Dr Mehboob Baig was quoted by a local daily.

“It is Congress and GoI, which provided platform to NC at Banihal where Omar Abdullah made a good speech about Article 370. It is unacceptable for Congress if somebody claims that PM’s visit was a failure,” said Soz.

Terming the Prime Minister’s Kashmir visit a “futile” exercise, separatist leaders in one voice said that the Government of India was never serious in resolving the Kashmir issue. The factions of Hurriyat Conference, JKLF and Democratic Freedom Party allege that Prime Minister’s Kashmir visit was just a gimmick.

“Kashmir is neither an economic problem nor an issue related to good or bad governance. The dispute is a historical reality and VIP visits to Kashmir or construction activities cannot resolve it,” said Syed Ali Geelani, chairman of his faction of Hurriyat Conference.

“The people of Jammu and Kashmir are committed to the ongoing freedom movement and won’t give up their struggle despite all the oppressive measures,” he said, suggesting to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to read the writing on wall and fulfill the commitment of late Pt Nehru on the resolution of Kashmir issue.

Hurriyat Conference (M) also termed the PM’s visit as “a total failure.” The spokesman of the amalgam said that the visit of Indian Prime Minister has rubbed salt on the wounds of Kashmiris by ignoring to talk about Kashmir issue. “Indian leadership was living in utopia by treating Kashmir issue as just an economic issue,” the spokesman added.

The Hurriyat (M) rebels Shabir Shah and Nayeem Khan see the railway project as a “defence strategy of India.”

“India is constructing railways and widens the highways in order to strengthen their military power to boost its defence in Kashmir,” Shah and Khan said in a statement, adding, “by these strategies they will not be able to win the hearts of Kashmiris.”

JKLF Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik said that nobody was hoping of a breakthrough from the Indian Prime Minister’s visit. He added “Putting separatist leaders under house arrest during the visit was itself an example of non seriousness of GoI to address the issue.”