Srinagar: A day after the Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh stated that the government of India attempted to reach out to Hurriyat leaders in 2016 for peace talks, Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq reiterated that the Hurriyat has always advocated for engagement and dialogue concerning the political aspirations and sentiments of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as a means of resolution, news agency UNI reported on Monday.
During a political rally in Ramban district, the Defence Minister shared that when he served as India’s Home Minister and the PDP-BJP government was in power in Jammu and Kashmir, a four-member delegation led by him attempted to initiate peace talks with Hurriyat leaders during the 2016 protests. The protests, which lasted three months, was sparked by the killing of Hizb militant commander Burhan Wani.
“After consulting me, Sharad Yadav (JD-U) and some Left leaders approached Hurriyat Conference leaders, but they refused to engage with senior MPs from our country,” the Defence Minister said at the rally, according to UNI report.
This marked the first public acknowledgment by a senior minister in the Modi government of an attempt to engage Hurriyat.
In response, Mirwaiz explained that in September 2016, while he was detained at Cheshmashahi sub-jail, Mehbooba Mufti, in her role as President of the PDP, sent him a letter requesting a meeting with a visiting delegation of opposition MPs to discuss the situation. Subsequently, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi visited him in jail to relay the opposition’s desire to meet Hurriyat regarding the dire situation in Kashmir.
Mirwaiz conveyed through Owaisi that the government should first halt the killings and allow Hurriyat leaders, who were either imprisoned or under house arrest, to meet and discuss the situation before determining whether a dialogue with the opposition delegation would be productive, the rpeort said.
Mirwaiz questioned if the outreach was a genuine attempt at long-term engagement or just another crisis-management effort that would be discarded once the situation stabilized, based on past experiences.
Owaisi agreed to convey Mirwaiz’s request, but Hurriyat stated that no further communication followed. The organisation expressed surprise at learning that this initiative was undertaken at the request of the Indian government.
Mirwaiz emphasized that Hurriyat, under his leadership, has consistently advocated for dialogue and engagement as a resolution strategy. He noted that Hurriyat has participated in all engagement opportunities presented by the Government of India, from Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani, to Manmohan Singh.
“Even at great personal cost to myself, other Hurriyat leaders, and our families, we have never hesitated to participate in these engagements, as we believe it is the only way to ensure peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir and the region,” UNI reported quoting the statement.
