'Kashmir can survive independently'
Sun, Aug 24 12:10 AM
"KASHMIR CAN survive as an independent nation," said Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq. "Much smaller places are surviving as nations, why can't we?" he asked, explaining the territorial and economic viability of Kashmir as an independent country.
With thousands of people demanding azadi (freedom) and even President of the National Conference, Omar Abdullah, voicing his support for a debate on "independence" of the state, Farooq said that the voice of the people must be heard. "It is not merely a slogan on the streets; we have discussed this internally and looked at its viability.
We will be a vibrant independent nation," the Hurriyat Conference chief told HT in a telephonic interview on Saturday. He and other Kashmiri leaders are reposing their trust in the "goodwill of their future neighbours, India and Pakistan, once we get our freedom".
"The Indian people have been misled into a belief that Pakistan is behind everything in Kashmir," he said, adding, "Even people like Omar Abdullah have come to realise the ground realities. They can no longer negate it.
"The idea of Kashmiri leadership is to put the idea of independence "before the people of Jammu and Kashmir as it existed in 1947", before it was partitioned, following tribal invasion of the state. "Kashmir is a landlocked place, we know it; but the will of the people cannot be denied and once we are independent, we will survive," Mirwaiz insisted, knowing that India would be offering no concessions, and Pakistan, having its own supporters in the Valley, would be one of the problems to contend with.
Mirwaiz, however, did cite the example of any smaller nation. When Lebanon was mentioned, he chose to keep mum.