Defiant Hurriyat doves on Saturday put up a brave face and vowed to continue the dialogue with India and Pakistan for finding a solution to the vexed Kashmir issue.
“We will not be cowed down by such acts (assassination bid on Fazal Haq Qureshi). We will continue to pursue the path of dialogue to bring about a solution to the Kashmir issue.
We will talk to India and Pakistan because it is the only way out,” said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of moderate Hurriyat.
Fazal Haq Qureshi, 64, senior Hurriyat executive council member and chairman of People’s Political Front, was attacked by suspected militants on Friday when he was returning from the mosque at Soura. He received severe wounds on his head and is battling for his life in the ICU of Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences here.
Qureshi is the fourth top separatist leader after Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq, father of Mirwaiz Umar, Qazi Nissar and Abdul Gani Lone, who became targets of suspected militants.
Qureshi was a part of the Hurriyat delegation that had held two rounds of dialogue with former deputy prime minister LK Advani. He played a key role in talks with the center earlier in 2000 when he was appointed interlocutor by Hizb-ul-Mujhadeen after a brief ceasefire.
“Some elements do not want that the Kashmir issue be resolved because their shops will be shut. But we want to tell them that we will not retreat and will take this process to its logical conclusion”, said Mirwaiz.
Life came to grinding halt in some places of the valley on Saturday following the bandh call given by the Hurriyat Conference to protest the attack on Qureshi. Shops and business establishments remained closed in most of the places.
Massive protests rocked old Srinagar where people burnt tyres on roads and shouted pre-freedom slogans. Protesters turned violent near Hawal and pelted stones on police and the paramilitary forces. The battle continued for few hours.
Visibly shaken chief minister Omar Abdullah said he will be meeting Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday “to take stock of the situation in the light of attack on Fazal Haq Qureshi”.
Omar said he was aware that when the dialogue process started, the moderate separatists will have “some danger”. “We had offered him security but he declined. I have asked my officers that if there is any weakness in their security, they should plug it,” he said.
The chief minister regretted there is too much talk about quiet talks. “Quiet talks should remain quiet. It is important that peace process continues regardless of what shape it follows”, he said.
Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani visited the hospital and called the attack a cowardly act.
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