The Hindu : 'Vohra mission lacks direction'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 16, 2003

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Other States - Jammu & Kashmir

'Vohra mission lacks direction'

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR JUNE 15. The senior Hurriyat Conference leader and JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik, today said that the leadership was ready to participate in any "meaningful'' dialogue but maintained that the mission of the Centre's interlocutor on Kashmir, N.N. Vohra, lacked direction.

Mr. Malik, who was released on Saturday after he was arrested during a signature campaign in South Kashmir on Thursday, said "there has not been any purposeful or constructive effort on the part of New Delhi to resolve the Kashmir issue.''

"We are ready for a genuine dialogue process and will help in its success'' he told The Hindu. He denied that Kashmir's separatist leadership had been playing a negative role in any such process.

Asked why the Hurriyat leadership did not show any flexibility in its approach, he said "flexibility comes when you discuss something on the table.'' Whenever there is a genuine process, they (New Delhi) will definitely find the separatist leadership in the forefront, he said.

On the signature campaign launched by JKLF last week, Mr. Malik said "it is to ascertain the people's viewpoint about the role the Kashmiri leadership should play.'' Nobody will come to us with a role, we have to find it out, he said adding that with the internationally supported peace process between India and Pakistan it was necessary that we go to the people and take them along in any process aimed at finding a solution to the Kashmir problem.

Despite arrests, he said the signature campaign would continue. He refused to comment on the Kashmir roadmap "finalised'' by the U.S.

JKLF to resume signature campaign

PTI reports:

A day after his release on bail, the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman, Mohammad Yaseen Malik, said today his organisation will resume the `signature campaign' on the Kashmir issue next week at Anantnag on June 17.

The `signature campaign' seeks to know the views of the people on the role Kashmiris wanted to play in any dialogue between India and Pakistan on resolving the Kashmir issue. Mr. Malik along with two close aides was arrested at Kokernag in Anantnag district of South Kashmir on the second day of the campaign. On the very first day of its campaign, as many as 9000 villagers had participated in it. — PTI

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