Geelani sees Kashmir solution in poll boycott

‘Sajad Lone harming his father’s mission; NC, PDP party to sellout’

Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani Monday said the only way to force the government of India to resolve the Kashmir issue is through complete poll boycott. 
“Our estimates suggest that 80 percent of people of JK stayed away from the recently held Lok Sabha elections. I believe, if we ensure complete boycott of Assembly elections slated later this year, Government of India will be shaken and forced to resolve Kashmir issue,” Geelani said while addressing a seminar at Hyderpora here organized by the Hurriyat (G) in memory of Kashmir’s disappeared persons. 
 “Cent percent election boycott will not only send a signal to New Delhi but to entire world community that Kashmiris are fighting for their birth right. We must pledge that from today onwards, we will launch a vigorous poll-boycott campaign. Our election boycott should not be based on force, stones, thrashing and warnings,” he said.
 “We must make people understand that those who seek votes are the same people who have sold the sacrifices and chastity of our daughters and mothers,” Geelani said.
Taking a dig at Peoples Conference Chairman Sajad Lone for claiming that vote for his party is vote for change, Geelani said it was unfortunate that he (Sajad) is damaging the mission of his father. “I remember, his father used to run a vigorous election boycott campaign,” Geelani said. “It is tragic that Sajad deceives people in the name of vote for change at a time when Kashmir is soaked with blood of martyrs and thousands of women are waiting for their husbands, sons to return.”
Stating that change of guard at New Delhi hardly makes any difference to JK, Geelani said there is no difference between the parties that rule India. “Yes, the only difference I find between Congress and BJP is that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was soft spoken while current Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known for talking tough,” the Hurriyat chairman said. 
Geelani said Kashmiris have been offering sacrifices since 1947. “Five lakh Muslims were martyred in Jammu in October 1947. They were brought to Jammu on the pretext that they will be sent to Pakistan only to get killed at the hands of Dogra forces and Indian army,” he said. 
Geelani said India’s own leaders took the Kashmir issue to United Nations and are now backtracking from their promises made to the people of JK. 
Lashing out at the mainstream political parties, Geelani said National Conference is responsible for the “illegal occupation of JK” while PDP and Congress are two faces of the same coin, who are strengthening “occupation through their policies and acts.” 
Speaking on the occasion, program coordinator Association of Parents of Disappeared (APDP), Khurram Pervez castigated those who claim that “freedom movement” was not going in the right direction or Kashmir issue can’t be resolved. 
“Those who say movement is not going in the right direction should come forward and show the way,” he said. He lamented the delayed decision of Kashmiri Ullema that half-widows can re-marry, which came after 23 years. “Many women whose husbands had disappeared were not in a position to marry again due to their age and other problems,” he said. 
Parvez also pinched Jamaat-e-Islami for not documenting the Kashmir history, especially the fallout of partition on Kashmir and the miseries thereafter. 
The seminar was moderated by Hurriyat (G) spokesman Ayaz Akbar. Others who spoke on the occasion include Tehreek-e-Hurriyat General Secretary Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Advocate Zahid Ali, and Jamiat-e-Ahlihadith representative Mushtaq Ahmed Veeri.