Mirwaiz, Gilani say no talks till India accepts their proposals

Srinagar, February 28 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and the veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani, have said that there is no chance of talks with India unless it accepts their proposals.

The two leaders, while reacting to the media reports that Indian government was about to engage Hurriyet leaders in talks, said that only tripartite talks were acceptable to them in which India, Pakistan and Kashmiris discuss the core issue of Kashmir.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a media interview in Srinagar said, the APHC will not enter into any dialogue till India, Pakistan and Kashmiris sit together to find an amicable settlement of the vexed Kashmir issue. He said that he had no information about Indian Prime Minister’s Office inviting the Hurriyet leaders for talks.

Syed Ali Gilani talking to a Srinagar-based English daily over phone from New Delhi said that his forum would not engage in any sort of talks with India till it accepted Kashmir as a dispute. “We had put forward five proposals for talks in August 2010 and our first condition was that India should accept Kashmir as a dispute,” he said, adding that bilateral talks in the past had proved futile.

The veteran leader pointed out that India was trying to create confusion by sending feelers that they were willing to start dialogue process with Hurriyet leadership. He said that nothing could be achieved through talks till New Delhi gave up its rigidity and acknowledged the ground realities. He stated that they were not averse to parleys but talks should not be for the sake of talks.

Syed Ali Gilani said that during his 2-month stay in New Delhi he met people from various shades of opinion and apprised them about the Kashmir situation.

On the invitation of Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, to visit the country, he said that they would discuss the issue during the meeting of his forum and would decide accordingly.