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India-Pakistan
Geelani rejects India's invitation for talks
2006-05-21
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the hardline leader of Kashmir's main separatist alliance, said on Saturday he won't participate in next week's talks with India aimed at resolving the Kashmir dispute. Geelani, the leader of the pro-Pakistan separatist group Jamaat-e-Islami, said he declined an invitation from the Indian Home Ministry to participate in the talks scheduled for May 24-25 in Srinagar.

"We are declining the invitation because we don't believe that such a conference could settle the Kashmir dispute. India should allow a vote for self-determination," Geelani told The Associated Press. Other key separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Omer Farooq, Yasin Malik and Shabbir Shah, said they haven't received an invitation from the Indian government. New Delhi and Islamabad began talks in 2004 to resolve the dispute, but they have not yet achieved a breakthrough. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh plans to travel to the Jammu and Kashmir next week and meet with both pro-India and anti-India groups.
Posted by:Fred

#2  "India should allow a vote for self-determination,"

This idiot doesn't even understand the concept of self determination.

It doesn't mean independence or micro-nationalism.

Kasmiris have had self determination since 1947. They elect their own state government. They run their own affairs.

They elect their representatives to the Indian Federal parliament. Many Kashmiris have held posts such as Indian interior minister even Prime minister.

No law passed by the Indian parliament is legal in Jammu and Kashmir until that state legislature approves it. This includes taxes.

Imagine that... representation without taxation.

Kashmiris have the highest social indicators of any Indian citizen.. lowest child mortality, highest average income, calorie intake etc.

No non-Kashmiri Indian citizen may own land in Jammu and Kashmir. This is to protect the demographic status of the state, to prevent it being flooded by outsiders.

Imagine that..no immigration.

All these separatist leaders are alive because they have large security details paid for by the Indian government. Without the police protection, more extreme jihadis would have killed most of them.

They have no problem with Indian security forces when their own protection is the issue, only with the forces on the LOC facing Pakistan.

Posted by: john   2006-05-21 09:36  

#1  Geelani = Gilani. His name pops up a lot in connexion with the Fuqra movement in the US. The DC sniper has some links to his organization.
Posted by: Seafarious   2006-05-21 01:45  

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