Kashmir government working on RSS agenda, says Yasin Malik

Separatist leader Yasin Malik on Wednesday hit out at the Jammu and Kashmir government for denying space to separatists and accused Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of working in accordance with the RSS.

"Sayeed is dancing to the tunes of Hindu nationalist RSS and its like-minded groups," the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman said at a press conference here, in reference to the PDP-BJP coalition government in the state.

Malik said Sayeed formed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the "active support of Indian agencies to hijack the agenda of pro-freedom groups".

"This party (PDP) before the elections used to befool people with similar slogans as of pro-resistance groups. But, now when elections are over, they are working on RSS agenda of altering the demography in Kashmir," he said.

He said the state government aborted the public contact programme "Safri Jihad-e- Musalsal" (Unending journey of Holy War), which he said was aimed at raising awareness for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue.

"What happened to Sayeed's slogan of 'battle of ideas' and of giving space to dissent? He has buckled under the pressure of Delhi to save his chair," Malik said.

"It is ironical that those who claim to be followers of Gandhian ideals of non-violence left no stone unturned in creating atmosphere for armed rebellion in 1988 by choking space for political struggle here. And they are repeating the same mistake again," he said.

He said India, instead of acknowledging the Kashmiri people's transition from violent to non-violent struggle after the 2008 street agitations, used force to crush it.

Malik, who was one of the pioneers of the armed insurgency in the 1990s, said diplomats of the US, Britain, European Union and members of the Indian civil society had promised them space for peaceful struggle.

"I want to ask them where are they now? Why have they maintained a criminal silence?" he asked.