 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmiri pandits on Wednesday said his purpose to resolve the Kashmir issue will be meaningless if talks with separatists were not followed up by similar parleys with them.
"We cautioned the prime minister that his JK visit would be a farce if the proposed dialogue with Hurriyat leaders was not followed up by a dialogue with pandits to find an amicable solution to the vexed Kashmir issue," said Chairman of All Parties Migrant Coordination Committee Vinod Pandit.
Alleging that the Centre had always adopted an appeasement policy towards separatists while Kashmiri pandits, Dogras of Jammu and Buddhist of Ladakh were always ignored, he said "without the participation of pandits, no dialogue would be meaningful as we are the major party to any solution regarding the Kashmir issue".
An impression has been created that the prime minister was coming to have a dialogue with Hurriyat only, he said, adding if the pandits were not invited to the dialogue, they would not accept any formula whatsoever formulated by the separatist forces and the Centre.
He said the community was on the verge of extinction and their culture, roots and heritage need to be preserved at any cost. Singh, who is expected to tour the state for two days, is likely to be there on October 27.