Mehbooba Says She Consulted Hurriyat on Alliance with BJP; Lies Says the Hurriyat

KASHMIR: The remarks of Peoples Democratic Party president, Mehbooba Mufti, that the Hurriyat was consulted before her party entered into the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata party in Jammu and Kashmir, has caused a stir in political circles of Jammu and Kashmir.

Terming the remarks, which come against the backdrop of warming up in relations between India and Pakistan, as a "complete lie", moderate Hurriyat chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said the Hurriyat has been against the PDP-BJP alliance since its inception in March this year.

“What she has said is a complete lie. The Hurriyat has rejected mainstream politics and fights for the right of self determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. How is it possible that we will meet the PDP and give them our consent for their alliance with BJP?,” Mirwaiz said.

During a TV program on Saturday, Mehbooba Mufti had said that “Hurriyat party” was called by the PDP to get consent for the formation of government with BJP in the state.

"It took us two months to decide the Agenda of Alliance. Hurriyat party was also called and getting consent on most of the issues the government is working,” the PDP chief said while speaking at ‘Agenda Aaj Tak’ program in New Delhi.

Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, former chief of Hurriyat Conference and chairman of Muslim Conference, had met the PDP patron, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, at his Fairview Residence on January 2 this year ahead of the government formation.

About the alliance, Bhat had then said: "Snakes can marry rats and bulls chase lizards. Anything can happen with reference to government formation. But at present, we can say let's not count stars which lie beyond."

Asked to react to the claims of the PDP chief, Bhat said: “I don’t become part of controversies. Let people say whatever they have to.”

Veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Geelani said, Mehbooba should name the people from Hurriyat who were consulted by the PDP before government formation in the state.

“We were not and never will be part of anything like this with any party. Mehbooba Mufti must make it clear as to who were the people in Hurriyat whom they have consulted. Such remarks are made by pro-India politicians to create confusion within Kashmir,” Geelani told a Srinagar-based news agency.

The revelation by Mehbooba Mufti comes at a time when the relations between India and Pakistan have a taken a positive turn. A recent Indo-Pak joint statement issued in Islamabad calls for "Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue" between the two countries over a host of issues including Jammu and Kashmir.