Opposing Army ‘raj’ doesn’t make Geelani a Pakistani: Paswan

Srinagar: Terming the acceptance of his five-point proposal as pre-requisite for talks, Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Wednesday asked New Delhi to accept “hard-realities” in Kashmir, saying developmental works cannot undermine the “deep-rooted azadi sentiment among  Kashmiris.”Speaking to reporters after an hour-long meeting at his Hyderpora residence with LJP leader and Member Parliament, Ram Vilas Paswan, Geelani said he was not against talks but “for a meaningful dialogue process it is imperative for New Delhi to accept hard-realities in Kashmir and accept our five point proposal.”Geelani said through Paswan he wanted to “convey a message to the Indian people that the promises made to Kashmiris by successive Indian governments should be fulfilled. The people of Jammu and Kashmir should be given the right to self-determination, which has been promised to them by India at United Nations.”“India has been delaying the resolution of Kashmir issue since 1947 and we want to convey to the Indian parliament and government that the core political issue in Jammu and Kashmir cannot be sidelined through developmental works and elections. Until India accepts the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir and takes steps to resolve this issue, political uncertainty and human rights violations by armed forces would continue to take place in Kashmir,” he said.Geelani said 150 rounds of dialogue had taken place already, but no progress had been made on the resolution of the issue.  “ The reason is the same. Unless the ground realities are not accepted and all the three parties to the dispute included in the talks the dialogue process would continue to be a meaningless exercise,” he said.Describing Geelani as “righteous and straight forward,” Ram Vilas Paswan said that even though the condition of India accepting Jammu and Kashmir as an international dispute was debatable, New Delhi should accept his other four points.“Nothing has been done so far on AFSPA, PSA and detention of youth,” he said. “The 118 youth killed last year were not terrorists or Pakistanis; they were Kashmris. If one youth is killed outside, judicial commissions are set up to probe the death, why not do the same here?” he asked.Paswan also denounced the forces presence in civilian areas. “The first thing a child sees on coming to senses is an army man,” he said, adding that opposing the “army’s raj doesn’t make Syed Ali Geelani a Pakistani.”He asked the Indian media to portray things in correct perspective. Paswan also took a dig at the three interlocutors— Dileep Padgoankar, Radha Kumar, MM Ansari— for not talking to Syed Ali Shah Geelani.In response to a query on the Dogra certificate, Paswan held the state government responsible for controversy, and demanded immediate revoking of the order. “If Jammu and Kashmir is one entity then why separate laws and orders for the two provinces,” he said.