Voice of moderation from the land of booming guns

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, SEPT. 3. Voice of moderation is something that one hardly expects these days from the Kashmir valley where the sound of gunfire has replaced the song of cicadas. But what one heard as the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders narrated the valley's tale of woe was the voice of moderation tinged with a clear undertone of desperation.

The main task that the APHC leaders, Mr. Abdul Gani Lone and Mr. Abdul Majid Banday, had to accomplish was to overcome a mindset militated against the Kashmiri cause thanks to the rising tide of violence and mayhem in the valley. ``We have come here to touch the chords of your hearts to produce a tune of love and understanding,'' was how Mr. Banday, Hurriyat spokesman in New Delhi, prefaced the interactive session with opinion leaders, the media and social activists organised by the Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (CHRO) here today.

He explained that the Hurriyat delegation had come with the intention of presenting their point of view about an issue that has claimed about 70,000 lives so far and continues to claim about 15 to 20 lives every day. ``You may agree with our point of view or disagree with it, but the very fact that you are here to listen to use shows that you share our concern for the people of Kashmir,'' he said.

The APHC leaders condemned the killing of innocent civilians by `the boys', but pointed out that the youth of Kashmir had been forced to take to guns by the repeated betrayals by the Union Government through fraudulent elections, particularly that in 1987 in which persons like Mr. Syed Salahuddin were cheated out of their victory, and offers of empty promises. ``We must all think why despite living with India for 54 years, the people of Kashmir are not emotionally one with India today,'' Mr. Banday said.

The APHC leaders pointed out that the Government's attempt had all along been to marginalise them and reject their demand for a meaningful dialogue that would lead to a lasting solution to the vexed issue. They accused the Government of having sabotaged any possibility of a solution with the appointment of Mr. K.C. Pant as the Centre's interlocutor and denial of opportunity to allow an APHC team to visit Pakistan.

Had they been allowed to go to Pakistan, they would have been able to convince `the boys' that no solution is possible through violence. ``Initially, there was this feeling that Kashmiris are no good fighters. But, with non-Kashmiri elements entering the scene, the situation has changed, Mr. Lone pointed out.

The Government-owned Mascot Hotel, where the interaction took place, resembled a fortress for almost the entire day today with the police taking over control over the entire property. Even invitees to the interactive session had a tough time getting in as the police seemed unwilling to take any chance with the security of the APHC team. Mr. Lone and Mr. Banday would conclude their visit to Kerala with a similar interactive session in Kozhikode on Tuesday.

BJP protest

A tense situation prevailed in front of the Government-owned Mascot Hotel this morning when a group of BJP workers tried to barge into the hotel which was playing host to members of the All Party Hurriyat Conference.

Policemen who were present at the spot stopped the BJP workers and asked the leaders to pacify their cadre. The march which was led by the BJP media cell convener, Mr. B.K. Sekhar, had commenced from Statue.

Mr. J. Mohan Kumar, Mr. K.R. Haridas and Karamana Jayan were among those who spoke.

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