Kashmir ceasefire: Militants and separatists in Valley term Ramzan move 'a cruel joke', seek tripartite talks

Srinagar: The United Jehad Council (UJC), a conglomerate of militant outfits in Kashmir, and the Hurriyat have sought that a tripartite dialogue involving Pakistani, Indian and Kashmiri leadership for the permanent settlement of the Kashmir problem.

The UJC has demanded that thousands of those detained in the jails should be released as a confidence-building measure (CBM), while the Hurriyat has said that demilitarisation and the revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) would help in the creation of a conducive atmosphere for talks.

Representational image. Reuters

A meeting of the UJC was held on Friday at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the leadership of its chairman and Hizbul Mujahideen chief, Syed Salahuddin, in which it was said that the ceasefire announcement made by the Indian government lacks seriousness and rather stressed on the need for dialogue on the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

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This came days after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced the suspension of anti-militancy operations by the forces in Kashmir during the month of Ramzan.

In a statement issued to media, the UJC spokesperson, Syed Sadaqat Hussain, said that Indian leadership should show seriousness to resolve the Kashmir issue.

"The Indian leadership should become serious about the resolution of the Kashmir problem, for which Jammu and Kashmir should be accepted as a disputed territory... and, in light of UN resolutions, a tripartite dialogue should be stared," said Salahuddin. The conglomerate has also said that as a CBM, thousands of those detained in the jails should be released.

The UJC chief has, however, termed the Ramzan ceasefire as something which lacks seriousness as it was restricted only to the holy month. "The ceasefire announcement by India was a ceasefire just for the sake of ceasefire. As the name suggests, after the month of holy Ramzan, the Indian forces would resume the killings and mass murders in Kashmir," said Salahuddin.

The UJC chief, however, also said that a ceasefire would have been a welcome development if the Indian leadership had shown seriousness. He added that the Indian leadership was trying to mislead the international community and Kashmiris won't be carried away by such tactics.

"'Operation Halt' is a cruel joke with the freedom-loving people of Kashmir, who are engaged in a legitimate movement for the right to self-determination," a joint separatist leadership comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik had said in a statement on Thursday.

On Friday, Hurriyat (M) chairman Farooq said that concrete steps should be taking for a serious dialogue on the Kashmir problem. He said that as a CBM, the Government of India (GoI) can start by repealing AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir, which is considered to be draconian as it confers powers on troops to detain people on mere suspicion.

"Let GoI start with demilitarisation and repealing of black laws like AFSPA. (Narendra) Modiji is coming tomorrow (Friday) and we are saying in that context that if initiatives are taken which will provide relief to people then we can move towards conflict resolution."

He further added, "When we talked with the Indian government last time in 2006, we said at that time as well that CBMs should be initiated so that people feel that there is a seriousness on part of the Indian authorities. We talked about the release of prisoners and removal of bunkers and watchtowers from the towns. Even if phased initiatives are taken, they should be serious."

Mirwaiz said that if the Indian government is saying that it will not run after youth for one month and then start the operations after Ramzan it "will not make any impact on the ground."

"There are only two ways for peace in Jammu and Kashmir and that is either by the implementation of the UN resolution or tripartite talks. We are seeking that the leadership of India, Pakistan and Kashmir sit for talks for carrying out negotiations." "Such measures should be taken which are serious for resolution of the Kashmir problem."