Hope ceasefire between India, Pak becomes permanent, says Mirwaiz

Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Friday appealed for a permanent ceasefire on the borders between India and Pakistan, saying military brinkmanship only leads to disaster and never to peace.

Addressing the Friday congregation at the Jamia Masjid here, he also said Kashmir is a “nuclear flashpoint” which can “explode anytime”.

“In the last few days we have gone through another harrowing experience that this festering conflict ignited, hours close to an all-out war between two nuclear countries. Even the ‘limited escalation’ was enough to destroy the lives of those living along and across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

“How long are we going to suffer and live in fear and uncertainty? While everyone is talking about Kashmir, no one is talking to Kashmir — to its people, those who live here. What do we want for us, our dreams for our future generations, our yearning for peace? Will our wounds ever heal? Will this conflict ever be resolved?” he asked.

The Hurriyat chairman said with each such episode, the problem gets more difficult.

“Military brinkmanship only leads to disaster, as we know and just saw, and to more arms sales - never to peace. But do India and Pakistan want peace, or one-upmanship, people of Kashmir wonder,” he added.

He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir want peace and not war. “We want resolution, not continuation of the conflict,” he said, adding it is our earnest hope that the ceasefire just announced by the DGMOs of both sides till May 18 becomes permanent.

The Mirwaiz expressed condolences and sympathies with all the families who lost their loved ones to “the senseless escalation of the conflict”.

He said his social organisation ‘Dar-ul-Khair Mirwaiz Manzil’ is reaching out to the affected families whose homes were destroyed with whatever relief and help they can offer.

“Let us hope the concerned authorities will provide them with all assistance to rebuild their lives. Living on the LoC, these people are the worst affected and always in danger of peril,” he said.