Outfits stage protest, oppose talks between Hurriyat Conference and Pakistan

Members of two local outfits on Tuesday staged separate demonstrations here to oppose any talks between the Hurriyat Conference and Pakistan.

The Jammu West Assembly Movement (JWAM) and the Shiv Sena Dogra Front (SSDF) staged the demonstrations a day before Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Kashmir ahead of the commencement of the Amarnath Yatra.

"We want to make it clear to the Centre that there should be no dialogue with Pakistan and Hurriyat leaders. We are against any such dialogue and if such a thing happens we will start an agitation in Jammu," JWAM president Sunil Dimple told reporters.

SSDF activists led by their chairman Ahok Gupta also held a protest in the city to oppose any type of dialogue.

"Hurriyat leaders are working at the behest of Pakistan and should be arrested and put in Tihar jail. There should be no dialogue with them," Gupta said.

Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi termed the offer of dialogue by Hurriyat as a "farce" and said the fight against militancy in Kashmir is at a decisive stage and cannot be let off at any cost.

"We have reached a threshold of finishing militancy in the state once and for all after many sacrifices by the armed forces and innocent citizens. Such historical opportunities cannot be wasted on some motivated offers," Sethi said in a statement here.

The BJP leader said that only after finishing militancy there can be scope of any talks."Otherwise the tactical advantage the security forces have today will be compromised," he said.

Sethi said that "any talks, when the right occasion will arise, will be confined within the ambit and scope of the Constitution of India," he said and appreciated the untiring efforts by security forces, including the state police to flush out militancy from the state.