Syed Salahuddin UJC Chief attaches three conditions for talks with India

• Had India been sincere, it would have appointed politician as interlocutor
• Condemns arrest of son, raid on Budgam residence

Rejecting the appointment of former IB director Dineshwar Sharma as interlocutor by Government of India, United Jehad Council (UJC) chairman and Supreme Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen Syed Salahuddin Thursday attached three conditions for starting dialogue process with India.
Let India accept our three conditions and we are ready for talks,” Salahuddin said while addressing a joint press conference with other militant commanders at Press Club, here.
He said India should accept Kashmir as a disputed territory, accept that there are three parties to the dispute and hold meaningful and result oriented dialogue with Hurriyat leadership in the light of UN resolutions for resolving the Kashmir issue as per wishes and aspirations of people of Jammu Kashmir.
He said Pakistan and India have held bilateral talks for over 150 times these have proved to be futile exercises.
He said if India would have been sincere in talks, then it would have appointed a politician instead of former IB officer as an interlocutor.
According to him, former IB officer was appointed as interlocutor by GoI to show to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that New Delhi was talking with Kashmiris. “It is meant to hoodwink the world community”.
The UJC chief said only tripartite talks involving the leadership of India, Pakistan and Kashmiris can lead to the solution of the Kashmir issue.
“Kashmir is not bilateral issue. If India wants to settle it through talks then it has three parties — Kashmiris , Pakistan and India and without engagement of all three parties, the Kashmir dispute can never be settled,” he said.
On NIA arresting his son Shahid Yousuf and raids conducted at his residence in Budgam, Salahuddin said, “For last 29 years I have not been in contact with my family. It was only my late wife who provided education to my children and married them. My late wife sold seven kanals of paddy land to impart education to the children”.
“Now my children have grown up. They have been married and doing government jobs like other Kashmiris. If they have constructed houses or settled in different areas of Srinagar it is due to their own effort,” he said.
He said his son Shahid was arrested by NIA on charges that he allegedly received Rs four lakh rupees in 2011 and gave it to Hizb.
“It is totally baseless,” he said.
Condemning the NIA raid at his residence in Budgam, Salahuddin said, “It was meant to create fear among the family members”.
“However, India should remember that Kashmiris will never surrender their right to self-determination and there is zero chance of compromise on our legitimate struggle,” he asserted.
Salahuddin said they are freedom fighters and would continue their struggle, which has a strong foundation and for which over one lakh people have sacrificed their lives.
Referring to braid chopping in Kashmir, he said it is another tactic of Indian military.
“Braid chopping was first started by RSS with support of Indian army and intelligence agencies in Bhaderwah, Jammu and now they use it in Kashmir as a tool of ‘ psychological war’,” he alleged.
The UJC chief said over 28 lakh kanals of agricultural land was under the control of Indian forces.