Hurriyat rejects Pakistan High Commission's invitation for Eid Milan

Published July 14, 2015
Geelani rejects invitation on grounds that the Kashmir issue was ignored during Nawaz, Modi meeting. —File photo
Geelani rejects invitation on grounds that the Kashmir issue was ignored during Nawaz, Modi meeting. —File photo

NEW DELHI: Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in a surprise move has decided against attending an Eid Milan which is to be hosted by the Pakistan High Commission on July 21.

According to ZeeNews , Geelani rejected the invitation on the grounds that the Kashmir issue was "ignored" in the joint statement between India and Pakistan after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian premier Modi held their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Ufa, Russia on July 10.

Read: Basit invites Kashmiri leaders to Eid Milan party

The Times of India reported that the Hurriyat Conference leader, while speaking to IANS news agency said that he will register his protest by not attending the Eid Milan because the two leaders did not discuss Kashmir during their meeting in Ufa.

"As the two prime ministers ignored the fate of over 10 million people of Jammu and Kashmir in their meeting, we reject being a part of any of their [Pakistan's] celebration," Geelani told IANS over the phone from Srinagar.

"The Kashmir issue is question of life and death for us. Nobody can take us for granted. And I will not attend the Eid Milan in New Delhi to register a symbolic protest," he said.

Opposition parties in Pakistan expressed reservations after the Modi-Nawaz meeting, with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) taking the lead to highlight that Kashmir was ignored.

Take a look: Back in Pakistan, opposition leaders unimpressed with Modi-Nawaz icebreaker

Shireen Mazari expressed dismay at what she said was silence on the Kashmir issue and Indian involvement in Balochistan. “Modi raised Mumbai and Sharif agreed to ‘fast track’ the investigations. Not a word on Samjhota Express was uttered by PM Sharif,” she said earlier.

Also read: India calls off foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan

Last year, India had called off foreign secretary-level bilateral talks with Pakistan following criticism of Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit meeting with Hurriyat leader Shabir Shah.

Pakistan had termed India's decision to call off foreign secretary level talks a setback to efforts by the Pakistani leadership to promote "good, neighbourly relations" with India.

Pakistan had also rejected India's reservation to Pakistani envoys meeting with Kashmiri leaders, as such meetings with Kashmiri leaders are held to facilitate meaningful discussions on the issue of Kashmir.

Opinion

Editorial

IHK resolution
Updated 08 Nov, 2024

IHK resolution

If the BJP administration were to listen to Kashmiris, it could pave the way for the resumption of the political process in IHK.
Climate realities
08 Nov, 2024

Climate realities

THE Air Quality Index in Lahore once again shot past the 1,000-level mark on Wednesday morning, registering at an...
Rule by fear
08 Nov, 2024

Rule by fear

THE abduction of an opposition MNA, as claimed by PTI, is yet another grim episode in Pakistan’s ongoing crisis of...
Trump 2.0
Updated 07 Nov, 2024

Trump 2.0

It remains to be seen how his promises to bring ‘peace’ to Middle East reconcile with his blatantly pro-Israel bias.
Fait accompli
07 Nov, 2024

Fait accompli

A SLEW of secretively conceived and hastily enacted legislation has achieved its intended result: the powers of the...
IPP contracts
07 Nov, 2024

IPP contracts

THE government expects the ongoing ‘negotiations’ with power producers aimed at revising the terms of sovereign...