Separatists reject Mehbooba’s offer on talks amid clashes

A day after Mehbooba invited separatists in her capacity as PDP chief, separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (both of separate Hurriyat Conference factions) and Yasin Malik (of JKLF) issued a joint statement here, rubbishing her and her offer. “These deceitful methods of crisis management through Parliamentary delegations and tracktwo channels only prolong the sufferings of the people and can’t take the place of a genuine transparent agenda-based dialogue to address the core issue of the peoples’ right to self-determination in J-K. “That has been our consistent stand and has been spelled out recently as well in our letters to various international and global fora,” the statement said. 

While making it clear that they were not interested in meeting the delegation led by union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the separatist leaders said one “fails to understand” what hope to attach with a delegation which has not “spelled out its mandate for any engagement on a clear agenda.” 

Meanwhile, clashes broke out in south Kashmir’s Shopian district with protesters setting ablaze a mini-secretariat building while curfew remained clamped in parts of Srinagar on a day the all-party delegation was here on a two-day visit aimed at restoring peace in the Valley. 

Normal life in the Valley was paralysed for the 58th day as restrictions continued in the rest of the Valley.