Fazl-ul-Haq Qureshi breaks lull after 4 years, Polls non-issue for Kashmir

Srinagar: Breaking lull after four years, after facing a fatal attack by some unknown gunmen, Fazl-ul-Haq Qureshi Huriyat Conference (M) leader, Friday said polls are a non issue for him as people cannot be restricted from participating in elections through boycott calls and the elections in no case undermine the importance of the Kashmir issue. .
Talking to KNS, Haq, who doesn’t even remember what happened on the day when he was shot in head by unknown gunmen, said that if the boycott call is given by the pro-freedom camp, the people will still cast their votes for one or the other political party and those who do not participate in polls will do it even if there is no call for poll boycott.
“The boycott call has no sense now. Until the Kashmir issue is addressed we have to strive for it and boycott mean nothing to us.”
Haq said that even if the mainstream parties after winning elections claim that they have achieved peoples’ mandate hardly makes any difference to the valley’s pro-freedom camp. “I believe with certainty that we should not talk about boycott at all. It is not possible the boycott will ever happen, nowhere in the world has the boycott been successful.”
He further stated that through boycott the pro-freedom camp is making polls important before the world community but reality is that it has no connection with the Kashmir issue.
Stating that the valley’s pro-freedom camp should understand that if the mainstream parties win assembly seats, it has no bearing on the importance of the Kashmir issue.
“The reality is that if we want that people should totally boycott the polls, it is not possible and leaders must understand this at the earliest.”
Commenting on the ‘viable’ solution on Kashmir issue, Haq said that all the parties to the Kashmir issue must be taken on board and that if a single party is ignored, Kashmir will never be resolved.
Haq further stated that he is totally with the policy of Huriyat (M) and that he agrees with the strategies and policies of Huriyat (M).”We cannot go beyond it, we have drawn the line and we have to be with our basic ideology.”
He further said that the Huriyat leaders are in touch with him and that they share the developments and strategies with the each other.
Haq who was critically injured after being shot from the close range in the evening of December 4, 2009, has problems in the right side and without wheel chair and support, he cannot move from his place.