Thaindian News

Jammu, Nov 26 (IANS) Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Friday criticised the central government for adopting a “cosmetic approach” on Kashmir.

In a statement here, Sayeed said the government’s actions and pronouncements on Kashmir still “smack of continuation of an approach that had yielded nothing but pain and disturbance in the last six decades”.

“While some response to current turmoil that ate up 111 people in the shape of all-party meeting and a delegation’s visit had raised hopes of a changed approach but it seems the effort was limited to firefighting and attempting to see Kashmir move away from headlines,” he said.

Sayeed said that, in his opinion, Kashmir “has made a collective, final and lasting break with violence and disapproved arms as a tool of political struggle”.

He added that “this fact had been reiterated repeatedly through peaceful street protests and participation in elections but unfortunately it had failed to evoke a matching response from the country”.

Instead of releasing the youth and politicians, more were arrested since the announcement of eight-point agenda, he said. “Cosmetic announcements of bunker reduction were being projected as troop reductions while the valley had been effectively converted into a prison”.

Reacting to attack on the moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Sayeed said: “It was strange that while leaders from all political parties were keen to be seen talking to leaders like Syed Ali Geelani and Maulvi Umar Farooq in Srinagar, but their own attempts to open a dialogue with the people of the country was being blocked”.

Referring to disruption of the interactive seminars attended by these leaders, the latest on Thursday in Chandigarh where the Mirwaiz was attacked, Mufti said it was ironical that a “handful of trouble makers were allowed to disrupt serious and peaceful deliberations”.