A day after Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said “there will be a positive response” if “meaningful” talks are initiated by the Centre, the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday said any talks with the separatists at this stage would be counter-productive and a retrograde step.

“The Joint Resistance Leadership (a body of separatists groups) should publicly acknowledge the indisputable status of Jammu and Kashmir and it being an integral part of India. They should also commit their loyalty to Constitution of India and seek talks only under its ambit,” state BJP spokesperson Anil Gupta said in a statement.

Any talks with the JRL or Hurriyat at this stage without them publicly accepting these “pre-conditions” will be “counter-productive and a retrograde step”, he added.

The reaction from the saffron party after Farooq called for a tripartite talk between the Kashmiri leadership, New Delhi and Islamabad for resolution of all issues, including Kashmir. “As the most affected party with daily killings of our young men, we would naturally want a peaceful resolution of the issue,” he had said.

On Saturday, Governor Satya Pal Malik had said that the Hurriyat had softened its stand and were ready for talks after he took charge of the state last August.

“The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) of Hurriyat does not represent the majority of Kashmiris. They are responsible for the senseless killings of Kashmiris by the Kashmiris at the behest of Pakistan. None of the Hurriyat leaders has signalled any change in their stance and continue to promote separatism,” Gupta said.

The JRL speaks on behalf of the “Kashmiri power brokers who claim to be mainstream, but survive on the latent support of the Jammat-e-Islami Kashmir (JEIK), the main ideologue of the separatists and the Hurriyat”, the BJP leader pointed out, adding “mere appeals for talks with the Centre is no indicator of any change in the mindset.”

“The new generation of radicalized leadership owes allegiance to the Jamiat-e-Ahled Hadith (Ahlle Hadees). They are also the mouthpiece of Pakistan and are dictated by ISI,” Gupta said.

He added, “With the Damocles’ sword in the form of FATF hanging over the head of Pakistan, it has temporarily suspended financing the Hurriyat which is now going through a serious financial crunch.”

Gupta also accused Hurriyat as the “perpetrator of most of the problems in Kashmir”, saying “with the inflow of Hawala money controlled, they are now strapped of cash and thus asking for talks”.

It will also be a huge set back to the ongoing extremely successful operations against terror and the terror support network, of which Hurriyat is a major culprit, he added.

In 2016, the BJP leader pointed out, the same leadership had spurned the offer of talks within the ambit of Constitution because, at that time, they enjoyed the backing and support of Pakistan. “The present offer of talks is a mere ruse and time gaining exercise to regroup and reorganize,” he warned.