Burhan Wani’s father asks Sri Sri to push for unconditional talks

Samaan Lateef

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Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 28

Muzaffar Wani, father of slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, has told spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar that New Delhi should hold “unconditional dialogue” with separatists to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Wani has told Sri Sri that peace in Kashmir will be restored only through dialogue with all stakeholders, including separatists and mainstream politicians.

“I met Sri Sri and told him that the Centre should hold unconditional talks with all stakeholders, including separatists and mainstream politicians, to resolve Kashmir issue,” Wani told The Tribune over phone. He held two meetings with Sri Sri at the Art of Living centre in Bengaluru during his two-day visit to “initiate dialogue to resolve Kashmir issue”.

Wani told Sri Sri that New Delhi should talk to separatists outside the ambit of the Indian Constitution.

“In the first round of talks, separatists, particularly Syed Ali Shah Geelani, should be sent to Pakistan to hold dialogue with Islamabad. His views should be considered for initiating the second round of talks,” Wani told Sri Sri.

On his first visit to the Art of Living centre, Wani was accompanied by a Budgam resident, Mohammad Yaqoob, working with Gandhi Global Family, an NGO preaching non-violence and promoting peace in the world.

Wani said Sri Sri had called him up a month back to condole his son’s death. “He invited me to the Art of Living and I promised him that I would pay him a visit,” he said.

Wani and Yaqoob left Srinagar by a private airline on Thursday and after a halt at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, flew to Bengaluru, where they were received by Sri Sri and his team of officials.

They held a 30-minute meeting with Sri Sri and a few others on Friday afternoon to discuss the Kashmir situation and the way forward.

Sri Sri told them that separation of J&K from India would lead to a crisis in Arunachal Pradesh and some other parts of the country. He talked about restoration of Article 370, which provided special constitutional status to the state within the Constitution.

The meeting generated a debate in Kashmir whether it had opened Track II dialogue to defuse tension. It stunned a majority of people, particularly those protesting on the streets following Burhan’s killing in an encounter. People on social networking sites criticised Wani for meeting Sri Sri and expressed shock.

“This is surprising and most unexpected. It is sad that the father of the militant whose death has claimed 70 lives and left thousands injured and Kashmir paralysed is parachuted from Tral to Bengaluru to discuss the situation with Narendra Modi’s right-hand man,” said Naseer Ahmad, a protester from south Kashmir.

PDP youth leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Para said people should not attribute any motive to the meeting.

“There is a feeble sense of demoralisation and an atmosphere of suspicion among the people in Kashmir following this meeting. It is to be seen how far the government will succeed in breaking the impasse,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a trader in Srinagar.