DFP president Shah blames Centre for failure of NSA talks, says world is disappointed by India's stance

Srinagar: Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) president Shabir Ahmad Shah on Tuesday “blamed the Centre for the failure” of the NSA talks with Pakistan, saying “the world is disappointed on the stand taken by India”. “The world is disappointed on the stand taken by India which led to the cancellation of the NSA talks. Kashmir is an internationally accepted dispute and India is bound according to the UN security council resolutions to hold a referendum in the state,” Shah told reporters in Srinagar. Questioning the statement of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the eve of NSA talks with Pakistan, Shah, who parted ways with moderate Hurriyat last year to form another faction of the separatist amalgam, said “Kashmiris are the basic party to the dispute between India and Pakistan and not the third party. [caption id=“attachment_2402560” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Shabir Ahmad Shah. IBNLive[/caption] “If we were not the relevant then why New Delhi had sent a delegation to meet us during the 2010 summer unrest? Then Union Minister P Chindambaram came to meet me in jail. The other delegation members including Swaraj visited the homes of other leaders including Yasin Malik, S A S Geelani and Mirwaiz and talked with them,” he said. He said during the previous NDA government led by AB Vajpayee, the then government’s point-man K C Panth came to Srinagar with a letter expressing government’s willingness to enter into a dialogue with the separatists. “We exchanged letters with New Delhi and the proof lies with us. We are not weak and not afraid of dialogue,” he said adding Kashmiris have rendered numerous sacrifices over the past 68 years for the resolution of the problem. He claimed Kashmiris would not “accept any resolution under the framework of Indian constitution.” Drawing parallel between the Kashmiri militants and the heroes of India freedom struggle like Bhagat Singh, Shah said “we have been fighting for the right of self-determination before the onset of militancy.” Even United Jehad council, a PoK-based amalgam of various militant groups, supported the dialogue provided India accept Kashmir a disputed territory and initiate serious dialogue with with the “freedom loving leadership”, he claimed. “All outstanding issues between India and Pakistan are linked with Kashmir. Whether it is Siachen or tension along the borders. Why India is escaping from dialogue? “If it feels its case is strong, it should immediately implement the 18 UN resolutions passed on Kashmir,” Shah said and reiterated his resolve to continue the ongoing freedom struggle to ensure that the sacrifices do not go “waste”. Apparently referring to militants, Shah said there are people in the valley who are saying that the Centre is not listening to them. “There are people here who are saying that they (government) don’t listen to you. Sometimes, I feel they are right,” he said adding “they are saying you are seeking resolution of the issue through political means, you are imprisoned.” “There are intellectuals who are monitoring our activities. They too are of the same opinion that New Delhi is not ready to accept the ground realities,” he said. He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept the ground realities on Kashmir and initiate a meaningful process to resolve the long standing issue in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “Half of India’s population are living below the poverty line…If Kashmir issue is resolved, it will benefit India most which is seeking a permanent seat in UN security council ,” he said. PTI