Centre insincere to Kashmiris: Omar

Omar recalled his meeting with the Home Ministry and said that he was told that the ‘‘Centre is willing to discuss its autonomy demand’’. ‘‘But when I met them three months later, I was told that I should not go by their words but by their deeds,’’ he said.

Omar said violence in the state cannot stop unless the Kashmir issue is resolved. ‘‘If you think bloodshed will stop without resolving the issue, you are mistaken. I may not like it, but it is a reality,’’ he said. ‘‘People here are ready for talks… you do not wait for the infiltration, Fidayeen attacks and car bombs to stop before starting the talks.’’ Omar said there was a consensus among political parties here that the Kashmir issue cannot be resolved by the gun. He said the Centre should involve more and more people of the state in talks for resolving the issue.

But he regretted that the Centre was holding talks with separatists who want a solution outside the parameters of the Indian Constitution, but not with the NC which favours a solution within the Constitutional framework.

On the Centre’s opposition to the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) discussing Kashmir, he said, New Delhi should have no objection to it. ‘‘They (Centre) are saying that Kashmir is our internal issue but if so, why are they talking to Pakistan about it. We are fed up with lies, tell us the truth,’’ he said.

NC patron and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, speaking on the occasion, said there can be no solution to Kashmir unless Kashmiris are involved in the process. He favoured a round-table conference involving both separatist and mainstream parties who can put forth their proposals. ‘‘The best proposal can be presented before the government of India,’’ he said.

Earlier, amid cheers and slogans, NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather announced Omar’s election and said 2,476 delegates out of 6,662, elected recently by the party members, had proposed his name for the post. Omar later won uncontested.