Government's offer for talks a welcome step: Mirwaiz

Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the Government of India’s dialogue offer is a welcome step if it is the result of a change in policy and approach, rather than the outcome of a change in circumstances.

Mirwaiz said the Hurriyat leadership will watch closely as to how the government will follow up on the dialogue front.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a two-day visit to the state, reiterated the dialogue offer to the Hurriyat, saying, “Talks need right-minded people, and not necessarily like-minded people.” Singh stressed that Prime Minister and Home Minister’s stand on Kashmir should be considered as the official view, as statements at other levels often get misinterpreted.


“Government of India says one thing, while the ministers say something else. There is no hurry, and the most important thing is that we have to stay united,” said Mirwaiz. The Hurriyat leader said that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had understood that Kashmir wasn’t an issue of development and economic packages, but was all about the aspirations of the people of the state. “Is this just a change in policy and approach, or is it a change in circumstances? Did their hearts melt that they are ready to talk to Kashmiris and Pakistan? Mirwaiz wondered, while addressing a Friday congregation. Mirwaiz claimed that the central government has perhaps realised that military might may not work in J&K, and their army officials too have accepted this.

“They tried every method of oppression and they realized that it was only strengthening our commitment for freedom and right to self-determination,” he said.