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JKLF warns of violence if India remains adamant
One of Kashmir`s top separatist leaders has condemned the world`s `criminal negligence` of Kashmir`s Muslim community and warned of an escalation in violence if India fails to start peace talks and promote a political solution.
One of Kashmir's top separatist leaders has condemned the world's "criminal negligence" of Kashmir's Muslim community and warned of an escalation in violence if India fails to start peace talks and promote a political solution.
"The silence of the international community is an encouragement to the Indian government" to continue its "suppression" of Kashmir's muslim-majority population, Yasin Malik, the head of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), said in an interview.
Malik, 35, slammed New Delhi for doing nothing to promote a negotiated solution in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and where a Muslim insurgency in the Indian-controlled zone has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1989.
"If the government does not provide a space (for dialogue), then violence will automatically take place," said Malik, who laid down his arms -- along with the rest of the JKLF -- in 1994 after several years in Indian prisons, during which he underwent open heart surgery.
For Malik, the "despicable" attacks of September 11 in the United States had simply underlined the importance of working towards a "violence-free world."
"For that, there are certain pending disputes which need to be resolved through peaceful means. It is up to India to respond to the new situation. Until now, they have not moved."
In fact, Malik insists that Indian security forces have stepped up their operations, making it all but impossible for political separatist leaders like himself to call on the armed militant groups to enter into a ceasefire.
Bureau Report
Malik, 35, slammed New Delhi for doing nothing to promote a negotiated solution in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and where a Muslim insurgency in the Indian-controlled zone has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1989.
"If the government does not provide a space (for dialogue), then violence will automatically take place," said Malik, who laid down his arms -- along with the rest of the JKLF -- in 1994 after several years in Indian prisons, during which he underwent open heart surgery.
For Malik, the "despicable" attacks of September 11 in the United States had simply underlined the importance of working towards a "violence-free world."
"For that, there are certain pending disputes which need to be resolved through peaceful means. It is up to India to respond to the new situation. Until now, they have not moved."
In fact, Malik insists that Indian security forces have stepped up their operations, making it all but impossible for political separatist leaders like himself to call on the armed militant groups to enter into a ceasefire.
Bureau Report