Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertions at BRICS summit stating that dialogue and diplomacy are means to settle conflicts and not wars stating that Hurriyat is ready to engage with the current dispensation in New Delhi.
Mirwaiz, while addressing a gathering at historic Jama Masjid in downtown Srinagar said that Hurriyat stands for the policy stated by the Prime Minister and is committed to peaceful engagement for conflict resolution.
Mirwaiz also informed that he for the first time since August 5, 2019, was able to meet his colleagues Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, Bilal Gani Lone and Masroor Ansari at his residence as he was under house arrest for most of the period.
“Prime Minister Modiji himself at the BRICS summit spoke about dialogue and diplomacy as the means for settling conflicts and not war…Hurriyat also stands for the same. Hurriyat talked to Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and Musharraf and is always ready to engage with the current dispensation in New Delhi,” said Mirwaiz adding, “There has been too much bloodshed in Kashmir to allow it to continue.”
Mirwaiz said that when Hurriyat was formed by the leadership in 1993, the situation was entirely different with militancy at its peak and even at that time in its proclamation, they clearly stated that it advocates a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict by engagement. “Even after thirty years this outlook remains the same,” said Mirwaiz.
The Hurriyat leader said that he shared reflections on the changed situation of the past five years within J&K and the effects of the rapidly changing geopolitical scenario on it with his colleagues and remembered leaders who passed away in this period–Syed Ali Geelani, Molana Abbas Ansari, Musaddiq Adil, Ashraf Sehrai. The Hurriyat also regretted the continued detention of their colleagues and Hurriyat leaders languishing in jails including Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah, Asiya Andrabi, Shahidul Islam, Nayeem khan, Qasim Phaktoo, Masarat Alam, Peer Hafizullah, Ayaz Akbar and others.
