Hurriyat dove welcomes China, US
MUZAFFAR RAINA
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Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
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Srinagar, Nov. 21: Hurriyat dove Mirwaiz Umar Farooq yesterday favoured a Chinese role in Kashmir at a time India has opposed a recent China-US statement about working together to promote South Asian peace.
In remarks likely to ruffle feathers in New Delhi, the Mirwaiz said China was a global power with "a huge influence in the region".
"China has a direct link to Kashmir because one part of it is under its direct control, which was given by Pakistan. We are talking of Aksai Chin and other areas," the Mirwaiz said.
He added that China was not party to the Kashmir dispute "but it has stakes in peace in the South Asian region".
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The chief of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, who favours a dialogue with the Centre, welcomed the China-US statement: "It ushers good (news) for Kashmir."
His remarks came on a day the Centre flashed confusing signals about the Mirwaiz's foreign travel plans, which include visits to Pakistan and then China at some unspecified date.
Yesterday morning, foreign minister S.M. Krishna had said: "He is free to travel wherever he wants to."
Shortly after the Mirwaiz's afternoon remarks, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao too said "we haven't stopped any Kashmiri leaders from travelling" but appeared to imply that such visits could not take place on stapled visas.
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New Delhi opposes China's new practice of issuing to travellers from Kashmir their visas on separate pieces of paper that are stapled to their passports.
"He (the Mirwaiz) is free to travel. If you are asking the question in the context of the visa issue, then our views on the visa issue is well known. We are against our citizens being discriminated based on their domicile and ethnicity," Rao said, although it wasn't clear if she was reacting to the Mirwaiz's remarks.
The Mirwaiz said he had an invitation from an NGO in China. "Given an opportunity I will present the Hurriyat's point of view in China," he said.
He criticised New Delhi's approach on the stapled visas. "Accept it or reject it, but Kashmir is an internally recognised dispute. Name any forum ' the OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference), EU (European Union), the US ' you will come to know that Kashmir is a dispute. So why is New Delhi not allowing Kashmiris to travel to China on stapled visas? You can't close doors to reality," he said.
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He said he felt the international community had a responsibility to solve the Kashmir issue as it was "not a border dispute or a religious dispute".
"It is a political issue and needs political settlement. For that we want that the international community should step in."
His reference was to the joint statement issued during President Barack Obama's visit to Beijing, which expressed readiness "to strengthen communication, dialogue and co-operation on issues related to South Asia and work together to promote peace, stability and development in that region".
The statement mentioned the need to improve India-Pakistan relations and evoked instantaneous opposition from India, which is against third-party intervention in its issues with Pakistan.
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The Mirwaiz said this was the first time the US and China had issued a statement for a joint effort for peace in South Asia.
"They will adopt a joint strategy and joint approach towards India and Pakistan vis-à-vis resolution of the Kashmir issue. The US has now realised that Kashmir is a core issue for bringing peace to South Asia. We welcome the approach of China and America regarding the Kashmir issue," he said.
Delhi recently announced the start of "quiet diplomacy" on Kashmir ' apparently after the renewed American and Chinese interest in the state ' bringing the Hurriyat and the Mirwaiz back under the spotlight.
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