Date:26/11/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/11/26/stories/2004112605681200.htm

International - India & World

''Musharraf's peace moves immature''

By Shujaat Bukhari

MIRPUR (POK), NOV. 25. Even as most of the political parties in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir openly support the Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf's peace moves, extremists have refused to budge from their stands. The right wing Jamat-e-Islami (JeI) has termed the ongoing peace initiatives between India and Pakistan as "an immature move" on the part of Gen. Musharraf.

The Amir of Jamat-e-Islami, Pakistan, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, cautioned against a "sellout" over Kashmir and said: "Nobody has given you the right or authority to decide on behalf of the people of Pakistan or the Kashmiris."

In an exclusive interview to The Hindu at the Mansoora headquarters of the JeI in Lahore, Qazi Hussain said his party or its allies were not consulted on the peace process. Visibly angry at "unilaterally giving in" to the neighbouring country, he said: "He is not our legitimate President, yet we fail to understand why he is giving concession after concession to them unilaterally."

Approaching U.N.

Qazi Hussain said there was no question of going back on Kashmir for which the "granting of right to self-determination" was the only solution. If India continued to deny it on one or the other pretext, "it leaves no option but to approach the U.N. again."

He would not trust either the United States or Britain, but the rest of the nations had to be taken along. He was equally not satisfied with the Organisation of Islamic Conference, terming it "murda tanzeem (dead organisation)" but was satisfied that the Muslim Ummah (nation) was alive. "They together would force the usurper to quit Kashmir," he said.

Qazi Hussain dismissed as "wild guess" the feeling that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are fed up with violence. A "fight between right and wrong is inevitable. It would go on and ultimately everyone would bow before logic," he said.

He alleged that Gen. Musharraf by talking about easing tensions with India and mitigating the sufferings of the Kashmiri people was actually trying to win a respite for himself and other generals. "What he says reflects cowardice and weakness."

At the same time he supported the need for seeking a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir problem. "But that must be achieved through an honourable way and not by giving in," he said. He wanted Islamabad to force India accept Kashmir as a disputed territory first and only then go for the dialogue process that should involve the people of the State as well.

`Geelani the leader'

He said the hardline Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Geelani, was the "only leader" in Kashmir. "I accept Ali Geelani as the leader of the people of Kashmir, the people and others fighting for their freedom should trust him." He said he was against target killings, especially by militants. "I think no Kashmiri should kill a fellow Kashmiri," he said.

The Jamat supremo said the Government of India "tried" to involve him in track-II diplomacy by repeatedly sending invitations to visit the country through emissaries.