By Sarwar Kashani
Srinagar, Nov 19 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir’s Hurriyat Conference is committed to solving the Kashmir issue through meaningful dialogue with New Delhi but also wants Pakistan on board, says the separatist group’s chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

“We firmly believe that the solution has to be found through a dialogue. There is no other way. We are committed to meaningful talks with India,” the Mirwaiz told IANS in an interview.

He said Pakistan was a party to the Kashmir dispute and it was imperative to involve Islamabad in the resolution process because all previous bilateral talks between India and Pakistan or India and Kashmiri leaders had failed to yield results.

“Let it be a ‘triangular dialogue’ if India has reservations to a tripartite dialogue between Srinagar, Islamabad and New Delhi,” said the chief cleric of Jamia Masjid, a central mosque in Srinagar.

He explained his point: “It is like engaging Kashmiri leaders, Delhi and Islamabad in separate talks with each other. Talks between Srinagar and Delhi, Delhi and Islamabad and Islamabad and Srinagar, we believe, can pave way for a peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue.”

The 36-year-old cleric was only 17 when he inherited the separatist political legacy from his father, Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq, who was killed by militants in May 1990.

With a passion for technology and educated at a missionary school, the young cleric never wanted to join politics but be a mirwaiz, the preacher, of Kashmir. But when he took over his father’s mantle as a young boy, he managed to get all separatist political parties under one umbrella - what came to be known as the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.

The Mirwaiz has repeatedly drawn criticism and sometimes even threats from militant groups for his forthright stance against violence and his willingness to talk to New Delhi to solve the over 60-year-old Kashmir dispute. Many hardline separatists even call him “traitorous freedom fighter”.

“I am trying to get all separatist groups on board before resuming talks with Delhi. Some are willing and others are not,” he said referring to Syed Ali Shah Geelani, head of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat, who has categorically refused to talk and has openly criticised the Mirwaiz.

“Let’s see what happens. We will try to build a consensus because the issue cannot be dragged and passed on to next generations,” he said.

So when could one expect to see Hurriyat and New Delhi talking again?

“See, India has to do something to create confidence in Kashmiris. I don’t say this is a precondition for talks but some confidence building measures are important to create an atmosphere for talks,” he said.

“They (India) should do something towards getting political prisoners released, repeal draconian laws that give special powers to the armed forces and gradual demilitarisation.”

The Mirwaiz said back channel communication between India and Pakistan, Kashmir and New Delhi had already resumed.

“I believe the process of talks is already on,” he said, adding that a Hurriyat team would be in Pakistan after Eid-ul-Zuha on Nov 28.

“We will be meeting the Pakistan leadership. It is a part of our effort to seek peaceful resolution of the (Kashmir) issue,” said the Kashmiri leader who has welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s initiative of “quiet diplomacy and quiet talks” to solve problems in the state that has been battling a violent separatist campaign for the last 20 years.

(Sarwar Kashani can be contacted at s.kashani@ians.in)