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Mukhtar Ahmed in Srinagar
The widening gap between the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and the various militant groups operating in Kashmir came to the fore once again when the United Jihad Council rejected the APHC proposal for a ceasefire by all conflicting parties.
"Hurriyat appeal for a ceasefire is untimely, unnecessary and unwise," said the UJC chairman Syed Salah-Ud-Din after a meeting of the various constituents of the United Jihad Council.
"The ceasefire proposal is intentionally or unintentionally aimed at harming the ongoing armed struggle in Kashmir."
The separatist All Parties Huriyat Conference had early this week proposed a comprehensive ceasefire by the various quarters in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
"All parties involved should call a ceasefire in Kashmir to create a conducive political climate for a permanent solution of the 53 year long dispute. And for this we need to ask people with guns to stop roaring," Prof Abdul Gani Bhat the chairman of the APHC had told newsmen on Monday.
"A process has to set afoot with a target. All parties -- India, Pakistan, APHC and the militants should call a ceasefire," he had said.
"The APHC leaders should retire immediately if they are tired. They should avoid making such statements which may harm the movement," the UJC said adding, "The freedom struggle will continue in Kashmir."
Another militant outfit Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen said, "The APHC has become a dangerous platform against the ongoing struggle."
"The APHC did not take its various constituents into confidence before announcing the decision. The various militant groups should have been consulted before decision was taken," said National Front chairman Nayeem Ahmad Khan.
"It is just a proposal. We believe the Kashmir issue can only be resolved through negotiations," said Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front senior leader Bashir Ahmad Bhat.
"The APHC has taken a positive decision and it has thrown the ball back into the court of the Government of India," said the firebrand People's Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti.
She added, "The world has changed after September 11 and we have to understand these things."
Mehbooba alleged that the security forces and the police has 'let loose a reign of terror in Kashmir'.
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