MUZAFFARABAD, June 11: United Jihad Council Chairman Syed Salahuddin on Saturday came down heavily upon the visiting leaders from occupied Kashmir for presenting what he called assorted options on the Kashmir issue. “Launch of different options, while openly deviating from the United Nations resolutions, is a condemnable attempt to deprive the 56-year-old freedom struggle of its strong historic, moral and legal base,” he said.

He rejected the offer of Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, chairman of a faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, to militant groups for representation in the alliance.

“The militant leaders do not need to join the APHC but they are keeping a vigilant eye on political and diplomatic activities while carrying on their basic important task,” he said.

According to Mr Salahuddin, the freedom movement demanded that the UN resolutions be made a basis for efforts to achieve what was acceptable to the people of Kashmir.

He was of the view that the suggestion by the APHC leader that the solution to the Kashmir problem should now be discovered through political process instead of armed struggle because it had gone to the negotiating table from the battlefield was unreasonable and counter to the ground realities.

Indian forces were making every effort to strengthen their illegal occupation of Kashmir by subjecting innocent Kashmiris to worst atrocities through catch and kill operations and the rulers in New Delhi were constantly harping on the false claim of ‘atoot ang’, he said.

“The situation (in Kashmir) had aggravated and in such circumstances the requirement for armed struggle had increased,” he said.

He claimed that it was due to the sacrifices and operations of the fighters that Kashmir had come out of the cold storage to become the focus of international attention. “Visits to Delhi Darbar and Pakistan had become possible due to the very sacrifices,” he remarked. According to him: “No political or diplomatic activity could see success without patronizing an organized and effective armed struggle.”

“If the popular political and public support to the leadership of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah failed to break the obduracy and deceitfulness of India, how today’s political leadership with assorted voices can deliver anything,” he questioned while alleging the present leadership of having a “shattered goodwill, conflicting interests and scattered thoughts”.

“The time demands that the recognized and sincere Kashmiri leadership must unite on the basis of principles without wasting a moment and guide the nation till the ultimate goal is achieved.