All-party delegation meets Geelani, Mirwaiz, Yasin
‘Everybody’ invited for meeting, nobody allowed to move out of home

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 20: An all-party Parliamentary delegation, headed by Union Minister of Home P Chidambaram, today interacted with representatives of almost all mainstream political parties to find an end to over three-month-long Kashmir turbulence that has left one hundred civilians dead in the last one hundred days. Even as all the separatist political outfits and umbrellas had turned down the invitation of participation, individual members of the delegation called on three separatist leaders, namely Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, and engaged them in an informal deliberation on the Kashmir problem in the backdrop of tight security arrangements and curfew in entire Kashmir valley.

Meeting with the mainstream political leaders was merely a formality as most of them had already participated in a marathon interaction with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and representatives of almost all the regional and national parties in New Delhi last week. Decision of sending an all-party Parliamentary delegation to the strife-torn state was taken in that five-hour-long conference. Beginning a dialogue process with the separatists was perceived to be the the main objective of New Delhi’s fresh ‘Mission Kashmir’.

Separatist leaders in Srinagar initially complained that they had not received any formal invitation but turned down the invite within hours while characteristically putting conditions---including withdrawal of troops from the state, declaring J&K as a “disputed territory” and releasing of all political detainees. The delegation of 39 Members of Parliament, including a couple of former MPs, besides Ministers in the UPA government, including Chidambaram and the National Conference patriarch Dr Farooq Abdullah, held a chain of meetings with representative delegations of different mainstream political parties for the whole day at SKICC.

Later, representatives of a number of civil society groups, who included wife of a detained separatist leader, groups of students, lawyers and traders, also met the Central delegation. Deliberations happened amid tight security arrangements and strictly enforced curfew all over the Valley. Even as the Government had sent an open invitation and asserted that the delegation would meet ‘everybody’, nobody other than few protected politicians and the specially ferried mediapersons was allowed to move out of home. Police and security forces did not entertain any curfew passes. They confined holders to their respective homes with the unconventional argument that these ‘pink cards’ stood valid only for the period of relaxation in curfew. For today, separatist hardliner Geelani had asked the Kashmiris to stage a march to the UNMOGIP headquarters at Sonwar.

With a reasonably fair number of people watching developments through television, no major incident of violation of curfew was reported from anywhere in the Valley. In one-odd clash between residents and men of a camp of security forces at Bomai, in outskirts of Sopore township, troops opened fire. Official said that five persons sustained injuries who were all rushed to hospital amid pro-Azadi, pro-Islam and anti-India slogans.

The ruling NC delegation, led by Minister of Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather, significantly made two thins clear in today’s meeting with the Central delegation and later while speaking to Press. According to his revelations, NC would pursue a campaign for withdrawal of AFSPA but lay key emphasis on its cardinal demand of restoration of greater autonomy. Rather made it clear that Omar Abdullah government would neither quit nor secede from its alliance with Congress even if the Centre turned down its demands.

PDP President, Mehbooba Mufti, was conspicuously absent from her party’s 15-member delegation, headed by former Minister, Mohammad Dilawar Mir. Ten of the party’s 21 MLAs were in the delegation that stressed on release of all political detainees, revocation of curfew, reaching out to families of the victims of current spell of turbulence and those under treatment at different hospitals. Quoting varied reasons, Ms Mufti had been blowing hot and cold since Saturday last with regard to the suggestion of meeting with the Central delegation. She finally stood away but sent a 15-member team with her memorandum to SKICC.

As nobody from the separatist leaders turned up for an interaction with the Chidambaram-led delegation, some members of the Left parties asserted that sitting on the prestige would be senseless. In obvious disagreement with the Right wing outfits, including BJP and Shiv Sena, they decided to “individually’ call on three prominent separatist leaders---Geelani, Mirwaiz and Yasin. Late in the afternoon, a highly protected cavalcade of official vehicles dropped CPI (M) leader Seeta Ram Yachuri and four others at Geelani’s Hyderpora residence.

Highly placed authoritative sources told Early Times that modus operandi of Geelani’s first ever public interaction with the Central delegation had been worked out between officials and the separatist leader late last evening. Sources said that a similar exercise had been successfully accomplished with Mirwaiz and Yasin, who met two separate delegations of the individual members at their respective residences.

In virtual reality TV shows, the separatist leaders invariably told their visitors from New Delhi that they too were votaries of peace. Sources said that all three separatist leaders repeated their clichéd conditions, laying particular emphasis on the condition of declaring J&K as a “disputed territory”, withdrawing of military forces from entire state and releasing detainees from all jails before starting a dialogue process. Mirwaiz also insisted that a joint parliamentary delegation of India and Pakistan be constituted for holding a meaningful dialogue for the purpose of seeking a lasting resolution to over 60-year-long political crisis.

Members of the Central delegation made compassionate appeals to their hosts, beseeching them to help in restoration of peace and tranquility in the state. They held out assurances that they would prevail upon the Centre in seeking a solution to the Kashmir problem, consistent with collective aspirations of the people of the state. Contrary to the grammar of conflict resolution processes, all three deliberations at Hyderpora, Nageen and Maisuma, happened under full media glare. A number of television news channels carried these live to their viewers.

The APD included Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi, leader in Rajya Sabha, Mr. Govind Rao Adik, leader DMK in Lok Sabha, Mr.T. R. Baaki, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mr. Arun Jaitly, Member Parliamentary Lok Sabha, Dr. Prassna Kumar Patasani, Dr Mohan Singh, Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha, Mr. Narindera Kumar Kashyap, Mr. K.C. Tyagi, leader of (AIDMK) in Lok Sabha, Mr. Thambidurai, leader TDP, Mr. Nams Naqeshwara Rao, M.P Lok Sabha, Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala, leader Shiv Sena in Lok Sabha, Mr. Anant G. Geeta, leader CPI (M) in Lok Sabha, Mr. Vasudev Achariya, leader CPI in Lok Sabha, Mr. Gurudas Des Gupta, leader AIFB in Lok Sabha, Mr. Narahari Mehto, M.P Lok Sabha, Mr. Prashant Kumar Mazumdar, Ex. MP Lok Sabha, Mr. Sahid Sadiqqi, MP Rajya Sabha, Mr. Rajniti Prasad, leader BPF in Lok Sabha, Mr. S. K. Bwiewnuthiary, MP Rajya Sabha & President, LJSP, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan. Leader NC in Lok Sabha, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Mr. Bindu Kumar, Mr. Shetti Raju Allas Devappa (ANNS), leader MLKSC in Lok Sabha, Mr. E. Ahmad, leader JMM in Lok Sabha, Mr. Shibu Souran, leader AIMM in Lok Sabha, Mr. Asaduddin owasisil, leader Kerala Congress, Mr. Jcoo K. Manl, leader JBM in Lok Sabha, Mr. Bahulal Lal Marandi, leader VCK in Lok Sabha, Mr. Thirumanvelavan Thei, Leader Balujan, Mr. Balak Ram Sukur Jadhav, MP Lok Sabha, Mr. Joseph Toppo, MP Lok Sabha, Mr. C.M. Chang, MP Rajya Sabha, Mr. O. T. Lepcha.

The NC delegation, headed by Minister of Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather, also included Ch. Mohammad Ramzan, Mian Altaf, Sakina Itoo, Dr Mehboob Baig, Saifullah Mir, NC Provincial President, Ali Mohammad Dar, Sheikh Ghulam Rasool and Dharamvir Singh Oberoi.

The PDP delegation by Mohammad Dilawar Mir, comprised the party spokesman, Nayeem Akhtar, Peerzada Mansoor, Abdul Rehman Veeri, Rafi Ahmed Mir, Syed Basharat Bukhari, Abdul Haq Khan, Zahoor Ahmad Mir, Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, Javed Mustafa Mir, Syed Bashir Ahmad, Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, Dr Mohammad Shafi and Qazi Mohammad Afzal.

The Congress deputation led by State President, JKPCC, Prof. Saif-ud-Din Soz also called on the delegation. The other members of the deputation included Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Peerzada Mohamad Sayeed, Aijaz Ahmad Khan, Ghulam Rasool Kar, Muzaffar Parray, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Bashir Ahmad Magray, Abdul Majid Paddar, Mrs Khem Lata Wakhloo, Krishan Amla and Mrs. Ambreen Baddar.

The CPI (M) delegation, led by State Secretary, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, had also in it Ghulam Nabi Malik, Mohammad Amin War, Mohammad Maqbool Ganai and Ghulam Qadir Bhat.

Bharatiya Janta Party deputation led by Sofi Mohammad Yousuf also met the deputation with three other members including Mr. Chander Parkash Ganga, Mr. Mohammad Maqbool War and Mr. Mushtaq Noorabadi. Sources said that bigger delegations of BJP and NPP would be meeting with the Central delegation in Jammu tomorrow.

Democratic Nationalist Party led by its President, Mr. Ghulam Hassan Mir met the APD and presented view points. The other members included Mr. G. M. Wani, Mr. G. M. Bawan, Mr. Nazir Ahmad Wani and Mr. Muzaffar Rishi.

An Independent MLA from Langate Er. Abdul Rashid also presents his view point before the delegation.

During the afternoon session, various deputations comprising Trade, Industry, Travel, Tour, Tourism, Transport, Apple Growers Organization, Non-Government Organizations, University Students, Vice Chancellors of various Universities and across section of people representing different shades of opinion also called on the APD.

These include Federation of Commerce and Industry, Kashmir (FCIK), led by Shakeel Qalander, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), led by Mr. Nazir Ahmad Dar, Tourism Alliance and Kashmir Tourist Taxi Operators Federation Travel Agents Association of India and Kashmir Tourist Traders Federation, Kashmir Economic Alliance- a shadow group of both traders and transporters led by Mr. Siraj Ahmad.

Besides, four NGOs including JK Voluntary Health Association, Rahat Ghar, Rural Development Society, Common Cause Trust, Kashmir Society and Kashmir Centric for Social and Development Studies also met the delegation. A five member group of students from Kashmir University also interacted with the Central delegation.

Representatives of Sikh community under the umbrella of Kashmir Sikh Sangat also met the All Party Delegation.

A deputation of Teacher’s Representatives, Sikh delegation of J&K Shromani Akali Dal (Badal), delegation from Kagril and prominent citizens also met the APD and placed their view point on the subject.

The deputations of Gujjar and Bakerwal and Awami National Conference met the APD.

END