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Hizb ceasefire 'broken half-step': Hurriyat leader

Amberish K Diwanji in Delhi

An offer of ceasefire and negotiations by the Hizbul Mujahideen is "a broken half-step that can never lead one to one's destination." This was the description given by All-Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Professor Abdul Gani Butt, currently in New Delhi for medical treatment.

In an exclusive interview to rediff.com, Butt insisted that for any peace negotiations to fructify, the Hurriyat, an umbrella organisation of various militant and radical outfits operating in Jammu and Kashmir, would have to be involved. "The Hurriyat represents the sentiments and political aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir rooted in history," he declared.

Professor Butt called for tripartite talks involving India, Pakistan and the Hurriyat as representing the Kashmiris. "If the three parties concerned conjointly make a statement asking the soldiers and boys with guns to cease fire, the ceasefire will hold. As we have just seen, a call by the Hizbul Mujahideen cannot hold," he said.

The APHC leader dismissed reports about Hizbul Mujahideen leader Abdul Majid Dar's statement that another ceasefire call is likely in a few weeks's time. "There is no need to talk about their ceasefire. Any ceasefire declared in isolation will not work," he warned.

Asked whether he was overestimating the Hurriyat's influence, which has been effectively marginalised in the last few weeks as the government and the Hizbul Mujahideen work to broker a lasting ceasefire agreement, he -- not surprisingly -- disagreed.

"The forum that represents the beat of the people's heart cannot be marginalised. If you do so, you will not achieve any results," he stated, adding, "We are the final arbiters of the dispute."

He insisted that Pakistan has a role in the talks. Asked how talks would take place given that New Delhi has emphatically rejected Islamabad's role, he said three factors were pushing the principle actors towards settling this 53-year-old dispute.

"The first factor is the spread of globalisation and the concept of market economy across the globe, for which peace is a prerequisite. The second factor is the nuclear weapons possessed by India and Pakistan, and Kashmir as a flashpoint. And third is the realisation at the people's level to resolve all disputes and live in peace," said Butt, a professor by vocation.

"I am very happy that the realisation is dawning on India and Pakistan that we have to forget yesterday and capture tomorrow. But this cannot be done unless we address the issues which deny us the opportunity to live in peace," he added.

Asked to define the key issues, Professor Butt reiterated the Hurriyat's old and well-known stand calling for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to determine their future. In other words, a plebsicite, a suggestion that New Delhi has flatly rejected as impossible.

However, he hastily added, "If we cannot have that, let us engage in a positive political activity, let all the parties negotiate purposefully to find a solution."

Professor Butt was dismissive about a role for the National Conference, the ruling party in Jammu and Kashmir, in any talks. "They are the surrogates of India, so having them or not having them hardly makes a difference," he said.

When it was pointed out that India viewed many militant outfits as nothing more than surrogates of Pakistan, he agreed. "That is a valid counter-argument. But the best way to decide on these issues is to meet and talk, and hopefully reach a consensus," said the professor.

Professor Butt is against the idea to trifurcate -- or split the state into four parts -- saying it will only further the heighten communal divide. "I agree the situation in Jammu and Kashmir right now is communal, the killings are on communal lines, but we are against any move that will further communalise, criminalise or even commercialise (sic) the situation," he declared.

Nevertheless, he added that the issue of trifurcation right now was minor. "There are bigger issues that need to be take up and resolved first," he said.

Professor Butt lamented that the current situation in the state remained as alarming as before. "The guns roar, bullet flows, houses burn, there are custodial deaths, human rights violations, crackdowns and searches are unabatedly on the increase. There is no change in the situation," he said.

But he pointed out that there was one silver lining in the dark clouds. "The fact is that today there are people around who talk in terms of peace," he added.

"Yet, to get this peace, we have to address the issues. No peace can exist in a war zone," he declared.

He further said that the moment for peace was ripe. "We shall have to rise to the occasion and address the issue of Kashmir and resolve it. This is in the interest of peace, stability, and the brighter future of the people of South Asia," he concluded.

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