Srinagar, Aug. 20 : Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chairman of moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference, on Wednesday said that he was baffled over the house arrest and the subsequent release of the separatist leaders and that it was a very negative move. He also said that the Hurriyat will go ahead with the talks with the Pakistan National Security Advisor in New Delhi.
“We were put under house arrest for no rhyme or reason. Although, it’s not a new thing for us to be put under house arrest. But, if this is an attempt to stop us from meeting the Pakistan NSA, then it is a very negative move,” Mirwaiz told ANI here.
He asserted that Hurriyat’s intention was that both nations continue with the talks and in no way were they opposing it.
“With LoC incidents on a rise and people dying, having talks has become a prerequisite. All the issue that are happening in Kashmir can only be solved when the talks go ahead,” Mirwaiz said.
He added that the Indian government must try to understand that at some point the matter of Kashmir will have to be resolved. Either by war or dialogue and that nobody wants the latter.
“Indian government needs to bring a positive change in its thoughts process so that all the state holders can be involved in the process. They need to stop childish acts like locking us up in our houses. Both nations need to show maturity and not try to stop the talks,” he said.
The Hurriyat leaders will now travel to Delhi to meet with Pakistan NSA Sartaj Aziz, who will arrive in India on Sunday to hold talks on terror with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval.
The meeting between the top security officials of both nations will see the recommencement of dialogue between the two countries after a year.
India had called off the talks last year after Pakistan consulted Kashmiri separatists before a meeting of the Foreign Secretaries. (ANI)