AIP Supremo and MLA Langate Er Rashid today led a five member party delegation which met Home Minister of India Rajnath Singh and made it clear that the only solution to resolve Kashmir Dispute and bring peace is to hold plebiscite on both sides of LoC as agreed by both India and Pakistan in light of UN resolution passed from time to time. AIP deputation had a 40 minute long meeting with the Home Minister this morning and during the discussion Er Rashid made it clear that seeking right to self determination doesn’t violate constitution of India and nor it amounts to separatism. Er Rashid said that Govt. of India needs to understand that passing the buck and avoiding the resolution is the only reason why Jammu & Kashmir is bleeding since 1947. Deputation narrated Rajnath Singh how successive govt.s broke their promises from time to time and played blame game with the other two parties of the dispute to avoid the solution.
Er Rashid asked Rajnath Sigh that those who talk to New Delhi with an apologetic and appeasement stand are neither helping India nor Kashmiris but just want to rule the state by keeping Indian state in complete dark. He rejected the allegations that Jammu region was facing discrimination and said that from civil secretariat to police department and from judiciary to ordinary govt services, the number of Muslims has been shrinked to intolerable level and added that people of state do never want any solution on communal lines nor has majority community ever been communal. Advocating the argument, Er Rashid said that despite being 70% Muslim dominated State , Muslims get killed in J&K and it is perhaps the only place in the world where people from the majority community have been suffering from 70 years. Who is propagating the communal agenda can be concluded by the fact that the so called VDC members of a particular community killed Zahid Ahmad, Istiyaq Chowdhry and others in Jammu region and went unpunished so far. Er Rashid told Rajnath Sigh that though pellets , bullets, PSAs and AFSPA has given us lot of pain but our fight by no means is against all these atrocities and draconian laws but all we want is that people of Jammu & Kashmir should be given right to self determination.
Er Rashid urged Rajnath Singh that calling those who have taken to streets in Kashmir everywhere, Pakistani agents hurts every Kashmiri as what so ever is happening is indigenous and spontaneous. Er Rashid asked Rajnath Singh that all those formulas seeking restoration of autonomy or something else has no takers in J&K and those who claim that Jammu province doesn’t subscribe to what is happening in Kashmir are just misleading themselves as if just a particular community in two and half districts doesn’t speak about plebiscite, it doesn’t mean that people of whole region agree to their view point. Er Rashid added that when we talk of resolving Jammu & Kashmir dispute, we never say so on communal lines but believe that people of both parts of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh should be given right to self determination and issue needs to be seen in totality and not on regional, religious or ethnic basis. While reiterating that every single killing is unfortunate but one needs not to forget that while 209 Kashmiri Pandits lost their lives during the turmoil, it needs not to be forgotten that nearly 1 lakh Muslims fell to the bullets since 1989. Er Rashid gave Rajnath Singh details about atrocities including forced labour army carried out in the State during last 29 years. Citing example of his own constituency, He like thousands of his people were subjected to humiliating forced labour by army from 1989 to 2004.
Er Rashid reminded Rajnath Singh that how can Govt. of India deny the fact that in the same Nehru Guest House where your good-self is meeting various deputations, Union govt held talks with 5 militant commanders , so Union of India has no logic to justify not talking to real representatives including militants for the resolution of dispute. Er Rashid made it clear to Home Minister that what so ever is happening in J&K , is not Pakistan sponsored , misdeed of certain miscreants, Paid elements, law and order problem , unemployment or handy work of some annoyed people but is a mass uprising and everyone is seeking AZADI on streets. Er Rashid said that Pakistan India and people of Jammu and Kashmir are Party to Kashmir dispute and no two parties can resolve it bilaterally, as United Nations has clearly given the roadmap which has been agreed by both the parties. Er Rashid added that implementing UN resolutions will not only resolve the Kashmir dispute but will add to India’s stature in the world community.The delegation gave a memorandum to the Home Minister reiterating its demand that resolution to Kashmir dispute leads only through right to self determination in a stipulated time period.