SRINAGAR: In a positive but unexpected development, four top militant leaders expressed their readiness to enter into a dialogue with the Central Government on the Kashmir imbroglio, if it did not set any preconditions for such talks. “We are ready for talks at any forum or table with the Government of India if it (India) concedes that Kashmir is a historic and political problem,” Babar Bader, self-styled supreme commander of the Muslim Janbaaz Force, Syed Imran Rehai, former divisional commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Ghulam Mohiuddin Lone, ex-Haibe Amir Allah of the Muslim Mujahideen and Bilal Lodi, former commander in chief of the Al-Burq said in a statement read out at a Press conference, here last week.
The unexpected offer of the militants came in the wake of “utter fallure” of the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), which has confined its role to calling for hartals, the four leaders said.
Appealing to the respective governments of India and Pakistan, not to waster their energies on “teaching each other,” the four leaders asked them to realize their duties towards humanity and solve the Kashmir problem. According to them, India, which is the basic party to the Kashmir issue, had a greater role to play in solving the Kashmir issue, which has been hanging fire for the last four decades.
The Government of India should leave its rigidness and concede that Kashmir is a political and historic issue, if it does so, we will have no hesitation in entering into a dialogue with them without surrendering our stand.” the four leaders said. Answering a question, the four former militant leaders said that they would enter into dialogue with India without the participation of Pakistan.
They said that they had not formed any forum of party, but as faithful servants of the people, wanted to come to their rescue at this crucial hour.
Criticizing the APHC, the four leaders said that the graph of the APHC has not gone beyond “zero.”
Article extracted from this publication >> February 14, 1996
