Contrasting views

Sir,- The article `No Hurriyat, no sincerity' by Mr. Abdul Ghani Lone (July 13) reads more like an emotional outburst than like an objective analysis of the Kashmir problem. Even though Mr. Lone calls the Hurriyat `a Kashmiri parrot' that does not sing paeans to Pakistan, he shows his prejudice and bias by calling India an arrogant and imperialist power.

He says `Pakistan is playing its cards well and taking care of the sentiments of the people of Kashmir' and `India is arrogant in the belief that the occupation will last for ever.' This sounds ironic when one reads the views of Mr. Khalid Pervez of the United Kashmir People's National Party, who was born in Mirpur in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (reference `For Kashmiris, peace is a question of survival' by Kalpana Sharma, the same day, July 13). Mr. Khalid Pervez is reported to have said that Gen. Musharraf failed to consult Kashmiris in Pakistan, and instead of talking to them, he arrested them. He also reportedly emphasised that the world did not know what was happening in places like Mirpur and Muzaffarabad (in PoK) because of press censorship.

Let Mr. Lone tell us who is imperialistic. Democratic India that gives the Hurriyat leaders enough fora to voice their opinion (secessionist in tone it may be) or autocratic Pakistan that snuffs out any protest?

Raghav Venkatesh,

Gulbarga, Karnataka

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