Syed Ali Geelani terms Pakistani Parliamentary panel report as "unfair & unjustified"

SRINAGAR: Terming as "unfair and unjustified" the recommendations of a Pakistani Parliamentary panel that 'Pakistan should avoid supporting militant groups in Kashmir', hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Geelani said the "freedom struggle in Kashmir has nothing to do with terrorism."

"The recommendation is unfair and unjustified. The groups busy in the freedom struggle of Kashmir have nothing to do with the terrorism but they are struggling for the just and genuine demand of right to self determination for their nation and this factor was present in every freedom movement of the world including the freedom struggle of India," Geelani said in a statement here.

He said the Kashmiri youths have not opted for the armed struggle just out of any amusement or fun but "it is the rigid and stubborn policy of India with regards to the Kashmir issue which has given birth to this situation."

"The recommendations of the Parliamentary Panel headed by member parliament Awais Ahmad Leghari depicts an apologetic policy and it cannot be named more than this that it is an attempt to appease India," Geelani said.

He said "if the government of Pakistan acts on the recommendations and takes any action against the Kashmiri youth, it will be the follow-up of American policies which they experienced in Afghanistan."

The Hurriyat chairman expressed hope that Pakistan will not turn its eyes away from the Kashmiris and will continue to support them on political, diplomatic and moral levels.