Srinagar, Nov 15: Noted political analyst and track II diplomat O P Shah on Thursday said that Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman and Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chairman during his interactions with him turned down the proposal of former Pakistan president General (Retd) Parvaiz Musharaf on Kashmir resolution.
Shah held extensive parleys with Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah, Muslim Conference chairman Abdul Gani Bhat, CPI(M) secretary M Y Tarigami, Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN) chairman G H Mir, wife of top separatist leaders Shabir Ahmad Shah and Shahid-ul-Islam, lawyers and civil society activists.
Talking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), O P Shah said Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chairman Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai turned down the proposals of former Pakistan president General (Rtd) Parvaiz Musharaf but I exhorted them to help open channels of dialogue at various levels for building up a congenial atmosphere for peace in the Jammu and Kashmir state.
Saying that Geelani stuck to his demand for right to self determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, O P Shah claimed that Geelani conveyed his unwillingness to accept the proposal of former Pakistan president General (Rtd) Parvaiz Musharaf on Kashmir resolution.
Saying that he urged Geelani to play the role which late Mahatma Gandhi played on the principles of truth and non violence as one of the oldest political veterans of Indian sub continent, O P Shah said Geelani complained about the approach of India on Kashmir.
Shah however said that Muslim Conference chairman Abdul Gani Bhat favoured resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue and expressed the belief that India and Pakistan are the two key stakeholders to the dispute on Kashmir and their engagement would lead to a workable solution.
Saying that he as a social and peace activist has been touring Kashmir to generate a broader public opinion on resolution of Kashmir issue, Shah said “I am not the representative of the government but simply a peace and social activist who wants Kashmir to become a bridge between India and Pakistan for peace and tranquility in the region.”
