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Hurriyat chief hints security forces killed Sikhs

The chairman of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has condemned the massacre of 35 Sikhs in Chatti Singhpora village and assured the Sikhs in the valley of full protection on behalf of his organisation.

In an interview with rediff.com, the mirwaiz said he refused to believe the massacre was the handiwork of militants operating in the valley. "I have been to the village and I have talked to them. I would like to ask you journalists why the militants should kill Sikhs in the valley.

"Whoever has done this dastardly act wants to create a divide between the Muslims and Sikhs in the valley. The two have been living in perfect harmony before this incident took place. We do not want the Sikhs to migrate from the valley. In fact, we appeal to the Kashmiri Pandits also to return to the valley," he said.

Though the mirwaiz did not name the security forces directly, he gave enough hints to put his argument across. "When Clinton was here, we feared that an incident of this nature might take place so the Kashmiri movement would be shown in bad light. Our fears came true when 35 Sikhs were gunned down in Chatti Singhpora."

He also claimed that the state administration did not allow him and other Kashmiri politicians to visit the village soon after the incident. "We condemn violence of any type. I had a difficult time persuading the state administration to let me go to the village. In fact, the administration did everything it could to stop us from going to the village on March 28. I was placed under house arrest so that I could not leave my house... But we managed to go there and express our sympathies to the families of the victims. I have assured the Sikhs in the village that they need not leave the valley and that they will be given full protection by us," he said.

But the mirwaiz admitted that foreigners like the Afghans are also fighting Indian security forces along with the Kashmiri militants. "We are fighting for a just cause and we welcome help from any quarter. I admit that we have training camps in Azad [Pakistan-occupied] Kashmir. We are getting support from the Pakistani government. We are also getting support from the ISI," he told rediff.com

The mirwaiz accused Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah of pocketing the money meant for the state's development. Asked how peace could be restored, the mirwaiz put the ball in the Indian government's court. "Let them initiate talks and the killings will come to an end the next day," he said.

Asked why the Kashmiris never talk of PoK when they refer to the Kashmir problem, he replied, "We reject Pakistan's claim over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Even PoK is part of the problem area. We, the Kashmiris, want to unite the two parts of Kashmiri and make it one."

The mirwaiz rejected government reports that the Hurriyat leaders were making tonnes of money in the name of jihad. "We have collected funds, but no one has made any money. This is a campaign unleashed by the Indian intelligence agencies to malign the leaders of the Hurriyat Conference. Not one of them has gained a paisa for his or her personal use," he said.

The mirwaiz said he would visit Chatti Singhpora on March 31 and attend the bhog ceremony there along with other prominent Akali leaders.

"I understand that the new jathedar of the Akal Takht will be there with other SGPC and Akali leaders. I will join them in paying homage to the departed souls," he said.

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