WASHINGTON: The Kashmiri leader of international repute, Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, has rejected a recent aid and economic package announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) and said it could not hide the dispute over the sovereignty of the land and people of IoK.
"Prime Minister Modi should realize that money can certainly solve some of the problems caused by last year's flood," said US-based Kashmiri leader in a statement. "But it will not remove the ever-present and destabilizing atmosphere of oppression, the violence in the streets, and the persistent trauma of rape, murder and disappearances that have been the hallmark of India's history in IoK."
The attempt to disguise the true problem of IoK by locking up the voices and spirit of resistance to Indian oppression did not make it go away, Dr. Fai said and added that all the problems faced by the people of IoK cannot be hidden by all the cosmetics that $12 billion can purchase.
The Kashmiri leader said that Modi's visit was carefully choreographed to show that he had been given a warm welcome by people. These people included thousands of police personnel in plain clothes, daily wagers, non-Kashmiri employees who had come from outside IoK, from places such as Bihar.
"It was no surprise to the local residents of Srinagar when they found out that the non-Kashmiri (Behari) employees did not show up to work. They had been detoured and corralled into listening to the prime minister who was otherwise going to standing before a lot of empty seats."
Dr. Fai said that curfew-like restrictions were imposed in Srinagar and hundreds of leaders of the resistance were detained to prevent them from leading a march which was expected to attract more than a million Kashmiris. The march was called by Syed Ali Geelani and was endorsed by all including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmed Shah and others.
"It has been the tragedy that the Indian leadership not listens to the saner voices. India's obduracy has never helped resolve the IoK dispute. And Narendra Modi is no different," he added.
Dr. Fai said that it was the basic principle of international relations that when the parties are not able to resolve the conflict, then it is always better to listen to saner elements beyond the parties who are directly involved in the conflict.
He recalled that even the US President Barack Obama has also said that the resolution of IoK is in the interest of the world peace.
