A conference on Kashmir being held in Pakistani capital Islamabad later this month has set off a new political controversy on both sides of the Line of Control, with critics openly accusing the organisers of trying to legitimise New Delhi’s stance on the issue.
Also, separatists have strongly objected to the invitation extended to some pro-India politicians from Jammu and Kashmir, terming it a breach of trust. They have also said that they will not attend the conference in protest. “Pro-India politicians always look for basis to blackmail our freedom struggle and befool the common people of Kashmir. These politicians are equally responsible for the oppression unleashed by Indian forces on people of Kashmir,” alleged Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference. It said that “responsible rulers” of what it said is the “base-camp of our freedom struggle” (a reference to PoK) should not invite pro-India politicians to their conferences.
PoK president Sardar Muhammad Yaqub Khan has invited both separatists and mainstream politicians of Jammu and Kashmir to attend the two-day round table conference being held in Islamabad from January 20 to discuss various issues related to the Kashmir issue. The topics chosen for discussions include, “Kashmir Conflict: Its ramifications for Indo-Pak Relations and Peace”, “Kashmir Dispute, Hindutva and Emergence of Hindu Extremism in India” and “Proposed abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A of Indian Constitution and Its Impact on Kashmir Dispute.”
Among the prominent invitees from the separatist camp are Mr Geelani, Mr Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Ms Sayeda Aasiya Andrabi, Mr Aga Syed Hassan and Mr Muhammad Yusuf Naqash. CPI(M) state secretary Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami and Awami Ittehad Party leader Sheikh Abdur Rashid (Engineer Rashid), both MLAs, and several Valley-based journalists too figure in the list of the invitees from J&K.
Mr Rashid has accepted the invitation and is travelling to Pakistan via Wagah, a party spokesman said.
Reacting to Mr Khan’s invitation to pro-India politicians, Mr Geelani said, “It is very unfortunate and sorrowful.” He recalled the 61st Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference which was to be held in the Pakistani capital in August last year and was cancelled as the authorities there refused to invite the Speaker of J&K Assembly and said, “So there is no justification for Mr Khan’s inviting the pro-India politicians to the Kashmir conference.”
Islamic Students League leader Shakeel Ahmad Bakhshi said that the very agenda of the Islamabad conference is a joke. “This is a deliberate attempt to club together pro-Independence and pro-establishment people on one platform,” he alleged, adding, “The proposed conference seems to deliberate on various articles of the Indian constitution like Article 370 and Article 35 (A), and increasing influence of Hindutva in India in the garb of discussing Kashmir Issue.” He asked, “Should we see this as an attempt to legitimise Indian occupation in the area One fails to understand what is the logic and rationale behind such exercise, that too in Islamabad, Pakistan, and what message organisers are trying to convey ”
He further said, “The irony is that the people who should be guarding the movement from external conspiracies and internal decay are consciously or unconsciously becoming the tools in such moves which are detrimental to our freedom struggle.” He alleged that such type of events amount to “making fun of the struggle of Kashmiri people and their umpteen sacrifices.” He added, “we need to learn lessons for the future strategies regarding freedom movement.”
