Separatists reject Opposition MPs' talks bid, shut doors on Owaisi too

SRINAGAR: Kashmiri separatist leaders on Sunday refused to talk to five Opposition members of the All-Party Delegation saying no such engagement was possible in prevailing circumstances and that it was time for them and others to “read the writing on the wall”.

The 26-member delegation headed by home minister Rajnath Singh arrived here on a two-day visit to meet and hold talks with individuals and political and other groups in an attempt to reach out to the people of the Valley which has been caught in worst crises of many years in the aftermath of the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani eight weeks ago.

As the government had indicated that members of the delegation will be free to meet any leader “including separatists”, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D. Raja, JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, RJD’s Jay Prakash Narayan, and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi broke away from the group in the afternoon and after splitting into three groups went to meet the key separatist leaders in their attempts to break some ice but found them too cold.

While Syed Ali Shah Geelani turned the MPs away from the entrance to his besieged residence at Hyderpora here, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Prof. Abdul Gani Butt and Shabir Ahmed Shah met them briefly but refused to talk on Kashmir or the prevailing situation.

Kashmir’s separatists shut doors on Owaisi
The three MPs — CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D. Raja and JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav — were received with slogans outside Mr Geelani’s residence whose gate was not opened for them. The octogenarian leader who has been under house arrest for past many months saw them from the window but refused to meet them. Mr Yadav on being asked about it said, “It is our effort to show that we are ready to talk to anyone whether they agree to meet or not.”

Witnesses said that the MPs waited for 8-10 minutes outside Mr Geelani’s door but in vain. Mr Yechury said, “We had come to hold talks and listen to his viewpoint. But he didn’t open the door.” He added, “Only through talks we can move forward.”

The MPs said it was an effort to reach out the separatists in their personal capacity. Before setting out to meet Mr Geelani and others, they had said, “Let Hurriyat reject us but we must try.”

The group earlier also went to meet Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Muhammad Yasin Malik at a police mess at Humama near the Srinagar Airport where he was shifted from the Central Jail here ahead of the APD visit. But he, too, refused to talk to it. He reportedly told the MPs that they should “see the situation outside”. He asked Mr Yadav, “What can we talk about in such situation and when Indian home minister has categorically stated that talks have to be held within the ambit of Indian Constitution?”

A JKLF spokesman said that the MPs were taken directly to the room in which its leader Mr Malik has been lodged. “But he refused to meet and talk to the parliamentarians and told them that they are part of larger delegation and were being headed by Indian home minister who before coming to Kashmir has categorically said that India parliamentarian delegation will meet and talk to people under the preview of Indian Constitution,” the spokesman said. Mr Malik also told the opposition MPs: “Our stated policy is that we will not talk to anyone under Indian Constitution.”

The group then tried to meet former Hurriyat Conference chairman Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat who told them, “In deference to the collective decision we may not be talking to you. We do feel for you but we can’t help it.” Mr. Bhat said, “We gave them the respect they deserved but we did not talk to them.” He also termed the delegation visit a “futile exercise”.

Mr Owaisi after coming out of the sub-jail at Chashmashahi in the foothills of Zabarwan here where the Mirwaiz is lodged for the past 10 days said he refused to meet with him. The AIMM leader was accompanied by anther MP but he entered the sub-jail alone. Within minutes he came out and told reporters that the Mirwaiz said to him the “resistance leadership” has decided against meeting them in “such situation”.