Centre trying to mislead people of India: Hurriyat Conference

SRINAGAR: The Hurriyat Conference today said media reports about the Centre mulling tough steps against separatist leaders of Kashmir was an attempt at "fooling and misleading" the people of India.

"These tactics are aimed at fooling and misleading the people of India and creating hysteria so that the attention of the people of India is diverted from the actual issue on ground and they are kept ignorant about it," a spokesman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a statement.

He said the Hurriyat strongly denounced the "rubbish and lies being spread against the resistance (separatist) leadership" through the media.

"It comes as no surprise to the people of Kashmir who are exposed to the real face of the so-called 'world's largest democracy' everyday and bear its brunt. They know how low it can stoop and how vengeful it can get," the spokesman said.

He asked the Centre to come out with details of the favours extended by it to the separatist leaders.

The spokesman said some separatist leaders were getting police personnel for security based on the threat assessment of the government.

"It is only JK Police personnel provided by the state based on their own threat assessment to the Mirwaiz after the martyrdom of his father Shaheed-e-Millat Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq in 1990.

"Some police personnel are also provided to other members based on the police's own threat assessment to them," he added.

The spokesman said such "fabrications" to discredit the separatist leadership "may fool people in India" but will not achieve anything with the people in Kashmir.

"Neither will revenge tactics change the ground, reality in Kashmir nor will it help in resolution of the issue. It is a people's movement and Hurriyat represents and upholds their aspirations for self determination. The movement will be there with or without Hurriyat," he said.