Initiate dialogue with Kashmiri separatists : Imam Bukhari

New Delhi, 15 Nov 2018 [Fik/News Sources]: Historic Shahi Jama Masjid’s Imam, Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari on Wednesday urged the government to hold talks with “compatriot” Kashmiri leaders and youth. He welcomed India’s participation in the talks on Afghanistan in which the Taliban delegation was also present.

In a statement, Imam Bukhari said it was for the first time that India sat on the table with Taliban on Afghan issue in Moscow, which initiated by the Russian President, for the establishment of peace in Afghanistan. He termed it as a welcome and positive development and asked why the government did not initiate the dialogue with the “misguided” youth of Kashmir.

“The participation of India in the multi-faceted talk process with Taliban, as a positive step. But he also raised the question that why the government did not initiate the dialogue with the misguided youth of its own country to bring them back to the national mainstream?” Imam Bukhari said.

He said that the policy adopted by the government on Taliban should also be adopted with regard to the separatist leaders of Kashmir, disgruntled Kashmiri youth, Maoists, Naxalites and Bodo separatists.

The government is hankering for peace in Afghanistan, but it is not making such efforts for bringing peace and normalcy in the country, he added.

Imam Bukhari also rasied question about the terminology used for describing Muslim militants with their religion. When Maoists or other terror groups commit acts of terror claiming scores of lives but these groups were not dubbed as terrorists, he underscored.

“They were either called Maoists or referred to by the name of their respective organisations. But if youth associated with a particular religion were involved in such acts, even if a few lives had been lost therein, promptly they were declared as terrorists. Government and politicians kept on harping that terrorists had no religion, yet terrorism had deliberately been linked to Islam and Muslims,” he said.

In reference with Kashmir situation, Imam Bukhari said “whether leaving our very own children to fulfil the designs of the enemy is in the interest of the nation or to bring them back to the national stream, by engaging them in the dialogue, is needed.”

“A soul-searching exercise is crucial for initiating the talks as we must know where we had erred that caused our own blood to rebel against us and to go on destructive path”, he said.

He suggested that the government should treat these disgruntled Kashmiri youth with love and compassion as a father does to bring back his wayward child.

“We must not forget that they were all our own people and belonged to the same soil; but, they had gone astray from the national mainstream or had played into the hands of the scheming foreign forces. Need of the hour is to make efforts of bringing back them into the national mainstream.”

Imam Bukhari also slammed communal groups for their violent activities particularly lynching of innocent people.