Independent MLA Engineer Abdul Rashid, known for courting controversy, was at it again today.
Rashid here today batted for the militants to be taken on board by the Union Government, whenever it talks to the stakeholders to find a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue. “The militants are the biggest stakeholders in the Kashmir issue. Talks with only leaders of the Hurriyat Conference, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, will not be productive,” Rashid said.
In this regard, he singled out Hizbul Mujahideen head Syed Salahudeen. The latter is a Kashmir-based militant outfit operating in the Valley. The government must adopt an inclusive approach and talk to him, the MLA said.
When asked why should the militants be given the long rope when they had openly denounced norms of democracy, he said: “If the government can talk to insurgent leaders in Nagaland, Akalis in Punjab and Bodos in Assam, why cannot the militants in Jammu and Kashmir be given the same privilege?”
He said if the US can speak to the Taliban to search for peace, why cannot India speak to the militants? He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should follow the lead of US president Barack Obama.
He said that people of the state had suffered the most on account of the Partition. “While Pakistan grabbed one part of Kashmir, India has taken away the remaining part. The people of the state have been left to decide their fate,” he said.
On Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed thanking militants from across the border for allowing peaceful conduct of the Assembly elections last year, Rashid said: “Mufti Sayeed was insincere in his act.”
