Four Opposition MPs met Hurriyat leaders in 2016 as part of central team for peace talks, says Rajnath Singh in J&K

Rajnath Singh addressing a poll rally in Ramban district.

Four Opposition MPs, with whom Hurriyat Conference leaders had refused to interact in September 2016, were part of the central team formed for peace talks, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

During the all-party delegation’s visit to J&K in 2016, JD(U)’s Sharad Yadav, CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s D Raja and RJD’s Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav visited the Srinagar residence of hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. The Hurriyat leader, who was under house arrest, refused to meet them.

“I was the Home Minister of India and the PDP government was here in Jammu and Kashmir. I used to tell Mehbooba Mufti (the then Chief Minister) that the situation shall be normal and even a delegation of MPs led by me as Union Home Minister came here,” Singh said while addressing a poll rally in Ramban district.

Singh told Indian Express he told these four MPs that “we are from the BJP and the Hurriyat people do not like us and they get irritated on seeing us”. “You talk to them and tell them that we are ready to talk, but there shall be peace in Kashmir,” said Singh.

According to Singh, Sharad Yadav and other senior leaders visited the Hurriyat Conference leaders after asking him.  However, according to IE, in 2016  Singh had said that the MPs had visited on their own. “I want to clarify that some members of the all-party delegation went to meet Hurriyat leaders. Neither did we say yes, nor did we say no. Whatever happened, you know about it. I do not wish to go into the details,” he had told reporters as quoted by IE.

Raja told IE that he does not remember Singh telling them that they should meet the Hurriyat leaders. “As part of the all-party delegation… the understanding was that the members are free to meet anyone we want and hear them out. And we went,” the CPI general secretary said.

Speaking about of FIRs against Kashmiri youth involved in stone pelting following the killing Burhan Wani, Singh said spoken to then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and allowed her to withdraw such cases. “We did everything that could be done with an open heart to restore peace in the Valley, but they (separatists) did not respond the way they should have,’’ he said.

NC leader Omar Abdullah’s had recently said Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru should not have been hanged.  Singh asked whether Afzal Guru should have been publicly garlanded. “I want a reply from you (Omar) as to what should have been done to him,’  he said.

The Defence Minister also told IE that  recently an affidavit was filed by Pakistan’s additional solicitor general in the neighboring country stating that PoK is a foreign land. “I want to tell PoK residents that Pakistan considers you foreigners, but the people in India do not consider you so. We consider you our own and so come and join us,” he said.

The J&K Assembly election, will be held in three phases, on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting will be held on October 8.