News
Monday, September 27, 2010
Kashmiri leaders reject Indian peace package
* Geelani says India’s offer is time-gaining exercise, unrealistic
* Announces another 7 days of protests over next 10 days
SRINAGAR: Kashmiri separatist leaders on Sunday rejected India’s offer to release hundreds of young detainees and review the massive deployment of security forces in the Himalayan territory to defuse deadly civil unrest.
Syed Ali Geelani, the hardline separatist leader who has organised months of protests in the Indian-held Kashmir, dismissed an offer from the government for fresh talks and a security review.
The proposals were put forward by Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram after he led an all-party mission last week to the region, while authorities relaxed a rigid curfew for several hours on Sunday in Srinagar and seven main towns following a pause in the unrest.
“It is a time-gaining exercise and unrealistic. It is aimed to hoodwink the international community,” Geelani told reporters in Srinagar. “If rulers in New Delhi believe that by releasing a few students and providing ex gratia relief to the families of martyrs they can reduce the alienation (of Kashmiris), they are wrongly mistaken,” he said.
Protests: He has also announced another seven days of protests over the next 10 days. A statement released in Srinagar appealed to the people to observe complete shutdown and civil curfew on September 27 (today).
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, another separatist leader, said India’s initiative was inadequate because all parties were not being consulted.
“Our focus is on the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. New Delhi’s latest initiative is not going to change anything in that relation as the dispute involves three parties, Kashmiris, India and Pakistan,” Farooq told AP.
Farooq urged India and Pakistan to set up Kashmir committees made up of lawmakers that could work to resolve the Kashmir issue by involving separatist leaders. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk