Former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah talks to CNN-News18’s Marya Shakil about Hurriyat leaders, his statements on the need to ask the US for help on the Kashmir crisis and why he feels the incumbent J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti is a separatist sympathizer.
Question: Shabir Shah was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, and there have been other arrests against Hurriyat leaders. Do you think it’s time to ban the Hurriyat?
Answer: Banning any organisation gives them an opportunity to go underground. It would then become difficult to track their whereabouts. The world over, whenever such banning has taken place, it has not proven fruitful. We have to uncover the truth. Where the money came from? How was it spent? And what part has been played by the various countries, who provided the money.
Question: Sir, you had said that the Hurriyat was funded by the Centre and that Kashmir paid the price.
Answer: Yes, all were funded. If you read former RAW chief AS Dulat’s book, he was attached to the Prime Minister’s office. That clearly shows that the money was being paid to these people.
Question: Can you substantiate what you have said about Mehbooba Mufti being hand-in-glove with the Hurriyat?
Answer: Obviously. I will go back to her father, when he went to meet them in 2002 he told all these people, who were talking guns that I have come for you. He told them I am going to defend you, so just leave.
Secondly, after investigations that my government did to unearth money that was coming from London to Delhi and from Delhi, it was being sent to Srinagar by Syed Ali Shah Geelani. The investigations were held and you would not believe how we got the government of India and the finance ministry to agree for that charge and to come seize all documents. Geelani Sahib was arrested and put in jail for two years. As soon as Mufti Mohammad Sayeed won the election, he released Geelani Sahib immediately and took him to Mumbai for treatment, where an operation was conducted at the state expenses.
All that investigations we did. General Mukherjee, he was heading the 15 core GoC at that time, he will substantiate what I am saying. The gentleman who was my DG at that time can tell you all about these investigations that were conducted at the time.
Question: Sir, on one hand, you are saying that the Mehbooba Mufti government is hand in glove with the Hurriyat and on the other hand you are saying it is the Centre that is funding the separatists?
Answer: They did fund Hurriyat, I didn’t say that. I have said that they fund the separatists but Mehbooba if you remember called Geelani as her father and the PDP, won in south Kashmir, which has quite a lot of support for Geelani. Even today, the statements by Geelani, are written by a minister of her government.
Question: That's a huge charge, who's that minister writing Geelani’s statement?
Answer: No, I am not going to name anyone. This is quite enough for people to investigate.
Question: So you are saying that a minister from the Mehbooba Mufti’s Council is writing Geelani’s statements?
Answer: Not only that, when these 6 arrested Hurriyat leaders were being brought to Delhi, a lot of pressure was put on the government to not take them.
Question: Who put this pressure? Was it Mehbooba Mufti putting pressure on the Centre?
Answer: I don't know. That is to be investigated.
Question: Dr. Abdullah you have leveled a series of charges. Do you think the current establishment in New Delhi is going very hard on Hurriyat and that is the reason why the CRPF has said that the number of stone pelting incidents have come down by 50%?
Answer: I don’t know. I have no idea about it. The government must be the best source that can tell you about it. Secondly, I would like to make it very clear that only arresting them will not make any difference. It is the investigation which has to be taken up seriously and the truth has to be brought out. If you don’t bring out the truth, it won’t stand in the court of law and it will be a major setback to the Centre.
Question: What is your assessment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s current handling of the Kashmir crisis? Are you satisfied with the Hurriyat arrests that have been made recently? Do you think it’s a thumbs up because the CRPF has come out with this new data?
Answer: I don’t know if the stone pelting incidents have come down or not. I have no idea. This is what you are telling me and that is what the government is trying to tell you. I would like to see peace in the valley. I would like to see people moving freely without any caution, that’s the type of valley I would like to see.
Question: You have made a series of controversial statements in recent times. At a time of the Doklam standoff intensifying, why were you advocating China and US to intervene in Kashmir? Given the fact that the government has maintained that Kashmir is an internal issue of India, why should we internationalise it?
Answer: Let me be frank about it, the talks will be held between India and Pakistan. I have never said that a third party has to sit at the table. I said that when Salahuddin was categorised by the American government, whole of India cheered it. This was done at the behest of India to US. At that time you did not say anything about it because the Americans helped you. Today, the situation is that India and Pakistan are not talking and the situation on the border is very tense. People are scared. People are dying on both sides.
Question: But this is coming at a time when your external affairs minister has been called a liar by China.
Answer: I don’t know about the liar part. That is not the question. I have only said that we need to use the influence of those we consider friends. American is supposed to be our friend, why don’t you use their good offices to convince Pakistan. Talks have to be held towards settlement. There is nothing wrong with it.
As far as Sushma ji being called a liar, those who did are completely out of their mind. Sushma ji will always speak the truth. Even today when she spoke about the Indians in Mosul, she was very clear that she cannot declare them dead until she gets full information about them.
Question: Talking about Kashmir, do you see a Chinese hand in the crisis?
Answer: China is a friend of Pakistan. China has made a route through the PoK. China will do anything that Pakistan will ask them to do.
Question: The security establishment believes that there is a real threat that ISIS is making in-roads into Kashmir. What is your assessment?
Answer: I don’t think that in the present day, there is any definitive proof about it. Whether with the Indian intelligence or the Kashmir intelligence, there is no definitive proof. Therefore, all this talk of them having come to Kashmir is wrong.
Question: Going back to where I started. Is it time to ban Hurriyat?
Answer: As I told you before, banning them will force them underground and you will never know what their activities are. If they are not banned then you know what they are doing and you can be prepared for those things. It is up to the government of India on which way they want to go.
Question: As the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister are you satisfied with this type of crackdown that is happening with the Hurriyat?
Answer: Anybody would be happy. What I would try to know is that they have to prove things that they are saying, otherwise they are going to create a bigger tragedy for the nation.
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