Dialogue, not war, only way forward: Mirwaiz

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 22

Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said dialogue, not war, was the way forward. He warned that even a spark could set afire the entire subcontinent as India and Pakistan were nuclear powers.

“The India government should understand that talking of war and strikes and this and that will not solve anything. Wars have not solved the issue, but complicated it,” he said.

Mirwaiz, who spoke to a congregation at Jamia Masjid here, where people raised slogans in favour of the Jaish-e-Mohammed like ‘Jaish walo kadam badhav, hum tumhare saat hai (Jaish move forward, we are with you)’, warned that India and Pakistan were nuclear powers and “god forbid, a spark can set the entire the subcontinent on fire”.

“No matter what you do, even after the war, you have to come to the table,” the separatist leader said.

“Let India and Pakistan start a process and we will support it like we did in Vajpayee’s era when he said talks within the ambit of humanity. Did not we talk? Did we not give advice?” he asked.

The separatist leader also condemned the “hate campaign” against Kashmiri people outside the Valley and alleged that it was systematic and had the backing of the Central government. “We condemn the anti-Kashmir and anti-Muslim rhetoric backed by the government. If anything happens to any Kashmiri, they will be responsible,” he said.

It was Mirwaiz’s first Friday sermon since his security cover was withdrawn by the administration following directions from the Union Home Minister in the aftermath of the Pulwama highway bombing.

Mirwaiz said the removal of the security cover of separatist leaders and booking them in cases filed by the National Investigation Agency and the Enforcement Directorate would not change their “principled position”.

“Our position is not for the sake of power, but it is based on truth that promise of right to self-determination is the basis of this issue. We are not afraid and will not be afraid,” he said.

The separatist leader said the “iron fist” policy of the Central government had pushed youth “to the wall”, who were finding gun as the only option.

“We have repeatedly said that Kashmir is a political issue and there is no military solution to it,” he said.

In the aftermath of the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, Mirwaiz said, the separatist leaders had expressed sadness over the “loss of human life”.

“The separatist leadership categorically said that human life is precious. Who would understand this pain more than Kashmiris who have only seen funerals and graves in the last 30 years?” he asked.