Reactions to interlocutors’ report
The interlocutors’ report managed not to surprise anyone in Kashmir. Reactions from the so-called separatist leaders, people ‘not in the mainstream’ have been deafeningly dismissive. While the chief minister observed a practiced silence, his party colleague and other ‘mainstream’ players ridiculed the recommendations.
As the people in general in Kashmir ignored the interlocutors. The ruling National Conference member parliament called it a ‘time buying exercise, its coalition partner the Congress party described it as a matter of generating debate. And the opposition PDP is in partial agreement with the report while separatists are terming it a ‘futile exercise’.
Omar Abdullah
Retaining his enthusiasm or lack of it about the report, the tech savvy chief minister Omar Abdullah in his usual twittering style informed his followers that he will take some time before reacting publically.
“Will take a few days to examine the report, discuss it with senior colleagues (and) then react,” Omar said in his post on the micro-blogging site Twitter.
However, National Conference (NC), the party heading the state coalition government termed the report as a time buying exercise, “fishy and contradictory”.
Dr Mehboob Beg
The NC leader and Member Parliament from South Kashmir, Dr Mehboob Beg said that on one hand the interlocutors call for revisiting Central laws but on the other they are saying the clock cannot be turned back. “It is clear contradiction and interlocutors need to explain it,” Beg said.
Beg expressed doubt over the originality of the report, saying there seems something fishy behind delaying the report.
The report was submitted to the union home ministry in October last year. Many including the three interlocutors themselves had since then been calling for making it public.
Both the factions of All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) rejected the interlocutors’ recommendations on account of the predominant point of Azadi missed in the report.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani
Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G) said this report was the case of broken promises and against the sentiments of people.
“This report clearly neglects the aspirations of people. Sentiment of Azadi is missing in it. They forgot the promises their leaders have made with us. They have not gone through historical background. What about UN resolutions?” Geelani asked.
He said the report is aiming to implement the design of RSS (Rashtriya Sayamsewak Sangh). “It is their design to make Ladakh a union territory and grant Jammu a special status. Then Kashmir will be turned into a military state. People will be forced to migrate,” said the octogenarian leader.
Yasin Malik
The JKLF chairman said he was right in not meeting the interlocutors whose report according to him was based on intellectual bankruptcy without any historical base and it is an attempt to divide J&K on various lines.
“They tried their level best to divide J&K on ethnic and communal lines which will be a very dangerous trend for whole of south Asia. Kashmir issue needs a settlement in accordance with the political aspirations of people of J&K which is completely missing in whole report,” said Malik.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
Chairman of his faction of APHC said, “Kashmir issue has to be resolved politically. We have a clear policy that solution should be according to aspirations of people. The predominant point of Azadi is missing in the report. These can only be CBMs, not the solution of Kashmir issue.”
Shabir Ahmed Shah
