“Pakistan and India want Kashmir for themselves”

Released from jail on 4 May, Mohammed Yaseen Malik is the charismatic and straight-talking leader of the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), and chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). He talked to Himal over phone from Srinagar. Excerpts:

Do you see Article 370 as contributing in any way to a resolution of the Kashmir problem?
The question does not arise. Article 370 came into being after the Instrument of Accession was signed, which had guaranteed the people of Kashmir the right to choose their own future through a plebiscite. That was not held, so the Article is redundant. Moreover, it was supposed to be a temporary measure and is quite invalid now, especially when the Indian government has abrogated its provisions. The Kashmir issue is a human issue and has to be resolved taking the aspirations of the people of Kashmir into consideration.