Syed Ali Shah Geelani rejects SK Lambah's suggestions

Rejecting the statement of Prime Minister's special envoy SK Lambah that there can be no redrawing of borders between India and Pakistan, Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani today said the people of Kashmir will not accept any solution which goes against their wishes. "The statement of Lambah is unrealistic and based on the traditional rigid approach of New Delhi. Kashmir is not a bilateral or boundary dispute between India and Pakistan," Geelani said in a statement here.

Lambah's suggestion converting the Line of Control into a permanent border is more like a statement made by a military officer than by a diplomat, Geelani said. 

Dismissing the suggestion of Lambah on using the Lahore Declaration and the Shimla Agreement for addressing the Kashmir issue, Geelani said these accords have taken place without the involvement of the basic party -- Kashmir, and therefore, lacks significance. "The Lahore Declaration and the Shimla Agreement have no importance and significance since Kashmiris were not part of these agreements. We are not bound to accept these," he said.

"Even if India and Pakistan sign tens of such agreements, they will remain as mere papers till Kashmiris are taken into confidence and their wishes respected."

The people of Kashmir will not accept any solution that goes against their wishes and aspirations, Geelani said.