Enter into dialogue with Centre: Omar to separatists

SRINAGAR: Asking separatists to see the writing on the wall, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said admission of Hurriyat leaders that their own people had killed two leaders is an "eye-opener" and that the time has come for them to join the dialogue process.

"This is an eye opener for all and time has come to stop all kinds of bloodshed in Kashmir and (they should) play a pro-active role to solve Kashmir issue through dialogue," Omar said at a function here.

Former Hurriyat Conference Chairman Abdul Gani Bhat had created a flutter among separatists earlier this month when he said that Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone as also his brother were killed by "our own people" and not by the security forces.

Sajjad, son of Lone, had thrown his weight behind with Bhat, saying the time has come for people to decide whether they were with "murderers or murdered".

The Chief Minister said the separatist groups, including the one led by hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, should read the writing on the wall and join the dialogue process.

"Whether it is Hurriyat-G (Geelani faction) or Hurriyat-M (Mirwaiz faction), they should read writing on wall and realize that dialogue is the only solution of all the issues".

Apparently referring to Geelani, Omar said separatists should give up their double standards on dialogue. "Those who have double standards should desist from it. When they can meet(parliamentarians) Ramvilas Paswan and D Raja, why should they shy away from meeting the interlocutors?" he asked.

He said the Centre has given full mandate to the team of three interlocutors headed by veteran journalist Dileep Padgaonkar to suggest a political solution to the Kashmir problem.

"Whatever recommendations they will make, the Centre will consider them positively," he assured.

Omar said use of guns and politics of strikes in Kashmir over the years have not yielded anything in terms of progress in the resolution of the Kashmir issue.