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'Autonomy to azadi: We are
ready to discuss anything'

"If India were to say that an independent Jammu and Kashmir is not viable, let them come up with an alternative, which fulfils the aspirations of the people of Kashmir and helps in establishing permanent peace," the Hurriyat Executive Committee member said in Karan Thapar's Court Martial programme to be telecast on SABe TV on Thursday.

Maintaining that the Hurriyat wanted a peaceful and negotiated settlement to the Kashmir problem, he said, "Once we start talking, we can explore all possibilities."

However, the "thrust should be towards a tripartite dialogue," he emphasised.

If a solution agreeable to India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir was arrived at, "jehadis (Islamic warriors) will have to fall in line, otherwise we will rise against them," he asserted.

"It is very difficult for any armed movement to continue without support from the people," he said.

The founder chairman of the Hurriyat asserted that the conglomerate's decision not to participate in the assembly elections was "not influenced by Pakistan, but by our conviction and belief that these are not going to be any different from those held in the past."

He rejected the idea of converting Line of Control (LoC) into an international border saying the Kashmir issue was not a territorial dispute but an emotional one.

PTI

EARLIER REPORT
APHC, Kashmir panel call for flexible, realistic approach

Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2002: The complete coverage

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