Meeting all-party delegation futile: Geelani

SRINAGAR - Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani Sunday reiterated that he would not meet the all-party delegation arriving here Monday as any dialogue would be futile until “India accepts Kashmir as an international dispute”.

In a statement issued here, Geelani, chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat group, said the mandate of the delegation is to meet people who are prepared to discuss the Kashmir problem within the framework of the Indian constitution.

“We stand for the right of self-determination for the people of Kashmir to decide their political future. This cannot be achieved within the framework of Indian constitution, which maintains that Kashmir is an integral part of India,” Geelani said in his statement.

“Until India accepts Kashmir as an international dispute and agrees to withdraw its troops and resolve the Kashmir issue in its historical context, participation in any sort of dialogue with India will be a futile and meaningless exercise,” he added.

The delegation, it was announced in Delhi, would send written invitations to those they intend to engage in the discussions.

Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat group, has said he would make his response public only when he receives the invitation.

“I have not received any invitation in this regard so far and, therefore, it is premature to ask me whether I would meet the delegation or not,” the Mirwaiz told reporters here.

The all-party team will visit the violence-hit Kashmir Valley Monday and the Jammu region Tuesday, as per the schedule prepared by the home ministry. The idea is to get a first hand impression of the ground situation before taking steps to defuse the volatile situation.

The Kashmir Valley has been rocked by a cycle of violence with retaliatory firing by the security forces on stone-pelting mobs resulting in the death of 101 civilians, mostly teenagers and youth, since June 11.