Peerzada Arshad Hamid

Srinagar

A European Union delegation led by Luis Filipe Castro Mendes, Ambassador of Portugal in India, visited Kashmir this week and met various leaders from the mainstream as well as the separatist camp here.

The delegation arrived in Srinagar on Sunday and stayed here for three days. Durign their stay they met chairman of the moderate faction of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, pro-freedom Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, besides Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and opposition National Conference President Omar Abdullah.

However what surprised many over here was that, the EU delegation did not meet the senior hardline secessionist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Democratic Freedom Party Chairman, Shabir Ahmad Shah. Although it was their discretion to meet or not anyone over here, their selective approach has not gone down well with many analysts in the state.

This is for the first time that any foreign delegation visiting Kashmir has not met the two senior separatist leaders, who are having good following among the Kashmiri masses.

Ignoring the two leaders by the EU delegation has puzzled the analysts and commentators here especially when the delegation stated in Srinagar that EU was committed to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

Besides, the EU delegation members also asked the leaders of the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference questions pertaining to participation in assembly elections, which are scheduled for October next year. The EU delegates also sought to know why the Hurriyat had stayed away from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s round table conferences.

European Union’s inquisitiveness whether moderate faction of Hurriyat will participate in the next assembly elections has put a question mark on the visiting team.

These statements of EU delegates are being viewed suspiciously by political analysts here who say that the questions by the EU delegates were loaded.

In such a circumstance, the EU delegates choosing not to meet Geelani, the most consistent secessionist leader and Shah, who earned fame as the ‘prisoner of conscience’ for not giving in during his over two decade detention, is being viewed as New Delhi’s influence on EU delegates.

The step of not meeting Geelani also goes against the very assertion of EU delegation that they are committed to resolution of the dispute. Sincerity demands that none of the key voices in the conflict are ignored. But the way the EU delegation has begun, it is apparent that have spoiled the job before they began. Their selective approach has led to aspersions on their on sincerity making their role doubtful.