US losing the battle in Afghanistan, India in J&K: Mirwaiz

Bilal Lone urges separatists to move beyond Friday speeches

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 22: Leaders of so-called moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference today said in one voice that “freedom from India” was the writing on the wall in Kashmir and nobody could stop the Kashmiris from achieving their political goal. Much glorified Chairman of the conglomerate, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said at a remembrance rally that United States of America (USA) was losing the battle against the Islamists in Afghanistan and India was meting the same fate in Jammu & Kashmir.

Bilal Gani Lone’s faction of Peoples Conference, which is an executive council constituent of Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat Conference, had for the first time in the last nine years organized a public rally at Kralpora in Kupwara district to remember the PC’s founder Abdul Gani Lone on occasion of his death anniversary today. Mainstream-turned-separatist leader, Lone had been gunned down by suspected militants on occasion of Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq’s death anniversary at Eidgah Grounds in Srinagar on May 21, 2002. Hurriyat founder Mirwaiz Umar’s father, Mirwaiz Farooq, had been shot dead by suspected militants at his home in Nageen locality on May 21, 1990.

It was first time in the last 20 years that the authorities did not allow Mirwaiz and his faction of the Hurriyat to organize a remembrance rally at his father’s tomb in Eidgah yesterday. Authorities enforced undeclared curfew in downtown Srinagar. Amid shutdown, people did not put up any resistance. Contrary to the apprehensions of many in politics, bureaucracy and media, the day passed off peacefully. Authorities maintained with palpable confidence that nothing “posing threat to eight-month-long spell of peace and a bustling tourist season” would be allowed in the capital city.

Government, however, did not prevent the separatists from holding and addressing a remembrance rally in Kupwara today. Sons of both the slain leaders had called upon their followers to join the congregation in large numbers.

In his key address, Mirwaiz Umar dismissed New Delhi’s seven-month-long process of “finding the Kashmir problem’s solution through interlocution” as an exercise in total futility. “These interlocutors are simply wasting their time and energy. They have absolutely no role in solving the Kashmir dispute”, Mirwaiz told his audiences. He asserted that Kashmir was a “bigger problem” that, according to him, could be resolved only through tripartite talks between India, Pakistan and the Kashmiris. He warned against the “nonsense” of amalgamating governance and political issues and claimed that it would only expand the confusion and delay the resolution.

Mirwaiz claimed that Azadi---freedom from India---was the “only slogan” in Jammu & Kashmir and the Kashmiris would realize their political goal, sooner or later. According to him, India needed to abandon its “obstinacy” and engage the Hurriyat, alongwith Pakistan, on a round-table if it was serious in finding the lasting solution to the Kashmir crisis. He said that India had tested many of its tactics, including barbaric force, but never succeeded in taking the Kashmiris away from their “struggle for freedom”.

“I am telling you people today that America is losing its battle in Afghanistan and India is meting the same fate in Kashmir. The day is not far away when the forces of occupation would return to their home and the Kashmiris would win freedom”, the high-spirited cleric-politician shouted. He asserted that Hurriyat would soon announce a fresh programme of laying the foundation stone of the “Wall of Martyrs” at Eidgah, in Srinagar.

Addressing the rally, host Bilal Gani Lone urged the Kashmiris to come forward for the protection of their leaders. He referred to the assassination of leaders like Mirwaiz Farooq, Abdul Gani Lone and Maulana Shaukat Shah, and questioned the continuance of a leaderless movement. “We need to move after 21 years of the struggle. It is high time, (separatist) leaders shall have to move beyond delivering their weekly speeches at Friday prayers congregations”, Bilal said.

He said it was high time that the “enemies within” were weakening the freedom struggle much more than the enemies outside. He was particularly critical of the role of some “newspaper columnists” and asked his followers to neutralize them with forceful write ups.

END