GEELANI APPEALS FOR KASHMIR FREEDOM

New Delhi Mar 19 (Only Kashmir): Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Saturday made a fervent appeal to the people of India to heed the sufferings of the people of Kashmir.
Speaking at the session 'Kashmir - What next?' on the concluding day of the 10th India Today Conclave, Geelani said the Kashmir "dispute" is all about broken promises.
He said lakhs of Muslims have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir since 1947 and the state still hosts 7 lakh armed forces personnel.
Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Dr Farooq Abdullah, however, strongly ruled out plebiscite in the state, saying that dialogue is the only way forward to solve the Kashmir issue.
"We can accept everything, but not the division of the state," Abdullah said.
He said India is ready to hear and do everything that will stabilise the nation.
Former Union Minister Arif Mohammad Khan blamed Partition for the continuing problems in Kashmir.