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Kashmir : Round table meeting this week |
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The Prime Minister has decided to have a round table conference later this week in which both mainstream parties and separatist outfits are being asked to participate. Prime Minister’s media advisor, Sanjay Baru, said in New Delhi on Feb. 14 that invitations for the conference are being sent to all mainstream parties as well as separatist groups. The meeting is expected to take place on February 24 or 25.
In his efforts to involve all sections of people in the peace talks, Dr. Manmohan Singh had a meeting with JKLF chairman Yasin Malik in New Delhi on Friday, Feb. 17. He is reported to have said during the meeting that the Government sought a genuine permanent reconciliation in Jammu and Kashmir through a dialogue process involving all men and women of goodwill to end the period of suffering. The Prime Minister’s media advisor later said Dr. Manmohan Singh is in favour of engaging all political parties and also those outside the electoral process in a constructive dialogue. The Prime Minister said, “there is an air of optimism in Jammu and Kashmir. We have an opportunity to bring lasting peace in the State. You have my assurance that we have an open mind and want to involve as large a cross-section of public opinion as possible in the dialogue process.”
Yasin Malik on his part described the meeting with the Prime Minister as “consultation” and argued in favour of holding dialogue with the militant leadership as well. Asserting that he supported the peace process, Malik wanted the involvement of people from the state in the decision-making process.
Malik said he came to the meeting with what he called a transparent agenda and handed over a set of compact discs to the Prime Minister containing 1.5 million signatures of the Kashmiri people in favour of their inclusion in the India-Pakistan peace process.
Meanwhile, it is not clear how many of the separatist outfits will take part in the round table. Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Gilani said in Srinagar that he has conveyed to the Prime Minister’s office that he would not be available for the round table conference. Gilani who heads the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference alleged that the meeting has been arranged only to hoodwink world opinion especially in view of US President George Bush’s forthcoming visit to India.
Differences between the Congress and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the two main constituents of the ruling coalition in the state on the issue of self-rule and demilitarization continue. The PDP has come out openly in favour of the proposal put forward by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Deputy Chief Minister and PDP leader Muzaffar Hussein Beg came out with signed full page advertisements in local dailies supporting the self-rule proposal. On the other hand, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who belongs to the Congress, criticised the Pak proposal of demilitarisation, according to which the Army should be withdrawn from three towns. As for self-rule, Azad said that the State is already governed by elected representatives.
Army Chief meets Governor, Chief Minister
The Army Chief, Gen. J.J. Singh called on State Governor S.K. Sinha and Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in Jammu on Feb. 16 to discuss the situation in the State. The Chief Minister said that the State CID and the Army should jointly interrogate captured militants. He requested the Army Chief to help the state government in its efforts to provide employment to the educated youth. The Army Chief said that instructions had been issued to avoid harassment of civilians during operations.
A socalled divisional commander of the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Mujahideen was killed at Bandipore, in north Kashmir, last week. Abu Mugaira, a resident of Rawalpindi, who had been operating in the Bandipore region for the past eight years, was killed in an ambush by a joint team of Army and J.K. Police Special Task Force personnel.
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