Date:29/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/29/stories/2007122961080300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Parliament House attack still a mystery: Geelani

Special Correspondent

‘It is unfortunate that people have not sought an answer from the Government’

Bangalore: The December 13, 2001 attack on Parliament House remains a “mystery” with no clues on the attackers and it is unfortunate that the people of the country have not demanded an answer from the Government on the incident, S.A.R. Geelani, Delhi University lecturer who was acquitted in the case, has said.

Speaking at an interaction organised by the Samvada Vedike here on Friday, Mr. Geelani said there was no proof yet on the identity of the five attackers killed by the security forces. L.K. Advani, the then Deputy Prime Minister, had said on the floor of Parliament that they “looked like Pakistanis.”

The fact that the bodies were unclaimed was shown as “proof” of them not being Indians, he recalled.

“I would only say that even Mr. Advani looks like a Pakistani. And, in Delhi many bodies go unclaimed every day. Are they all Pakistanis?” asked Mr. Geelani.

He said that several facts of the case pointed to the possibility of the whole episode being “stage-managed.”

Mr. Geelani spoke at length on the crisis in Kashmir. “Resolution of the Kashmir issue is important not just in the interests of Kashmiris, but also in the interests of India, Pakistan and the entire South Asian region,” Mr. Geelani said.

Millions of dollars were being spent in the name of security on a place like Siachen where “not a blade of grass grows,” he said.

This huge expenditure would be unnecessary if the Kashmir issue was resolved. The money could be used for development projects, he said.

Tracing the growth of militant resistance in Kashmir, Mr. Geelani said many Kashmiri leaders, including Syed Salahuddin of the Hizbul Mujahideen, had explored democratic options before choosing the militant path. Salahuddin contested elections in 1987, he pointed out.

Both India and Pakistan were signatory to the UN Security Council resolution on the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination. But there was never a genuine effort or political will to honour it or resolve the issue through dialogue, Mr. Geelani said.

Even as talks were on, there were custodial killings and fake encounters in the Valley, he said.

“More importantly, the people of Kashmir are never involved in the so-called resolution strategies,” Mr. Geelani said. The intelligence agencies had even played the “vicious game” of using the issue of Kashmiri Pandits to make the question of Kashmir identity seem like one of Muslim identity, he added.

The people of India should take greater responsibility towards resolving the Kashmir crisis, he said. “Misinformation campaign on Kahsmir should be countered by awareness campaigns,” Mr. Geelani said.