Hizbul chief sets preconditions for talks on Kashmir

SRINAGAR: United Jehad Council (UJC) chairman Syed Salahuddin has set pre-conditions for a dialogue with the Union government to resolve the Kashmir issue.

According to a statement issued to a local news agency, Salahuddin, while addressing a gathering in the Pakistan-occupied-kashmir’s capital Muzaffarabad, said UJC would cooperate and support the dialogue process only if “India accepts Kashmir as a dispute and resolves it in the light of UN resolutions”.

He was referring to the Centre’s recent decision to suspend operations in the state during Ramzan and the subsequent call for talks.

Salahuddin, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Hizbul Mujahideen, said the steps initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh would materialise only when “India will show honesty, seriousness and character”.

“India has wounded the hearts of Kashmiri people to an extent that none is going to believe in India’s phoney war. If India is really sincere and serious about dialogue, then it should respect the aspirations of people of J&K,” the UJC chairman reportedly said. The UJC is the umbrella body of several militant organisations active in Kashmir.

Early in May, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance called off security operations in the restive state to allow people to observe Ramzan, which started from May 17, peacefully.

The suspension of operations was followed by a call from the home minister for a dialogue with separatist leaders.