SRINAGAR, July 29: Prime Minister I K Gujral had embarked on a journey to ``win hearts and minds'' of the Kashmiri people. Yet his trip to the Valley ended with him losing his image of a serious peacebroker as he offered talks to militants and then did a complete turnaround.

``He should rather have kept quiet,'' said an angry Congress leader who claims to be trying to woo a section of the pro-Pakistan militants into joining the mainstream. ``Suddenly, those people (militants) have backtracked after Gujral's contradictory statements and (this has) put my life in danger,'' he told The Indian Express

.Gujral has earned the wrath of all the political parties in Kashmir for his efforts. His United Front (UF) ally, the National Conference (NC), is reported to have also taken affront to his first day's announcement of ``unconditional talks with misguided youth'' at Qazigund. Abdul Ahad Vakil, a senior Cabinet Minister of the Farooq Abdullah Government, today said: ``In my personal opinion, war and peace don't go together''.

Gujral's claim the next day that he was misunderstood since he spoke in chaste Urdu is untenable. The scribes here have recorded versions of the Prime Minister's speech at Qazigund and at a civic reception held in Srinagar in the evening. On both the occasions, Gujral had categorically offered ``unconditional talks with misguided youth''.

The separatists, including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), had reacted with caution when Gujral first made the offer.

So when the Prime Minister backtracked on it within 24 hours, it only gave the Hurriyat fresh ammunition for an offensive against the ``Indian approach'' on Kashmir. ``Militants are freedom fighters and not misguided youths,'' the Hurriyat said today in reaction to Gujral's offer.

Analysts also feel the Prime Minister's statements have added to the clout of separatists, who project India as a ``weak and non-serious party'' in the Kashmir dispute. ``There are many factions and important leaders of separatists who are willing to jump the fence to renounce militancy. They will now become extra careful,'' said a senior columnist of a local Urdu daily.

The Congress, on the other hand, which had welcomed the peace offer, landed in an embarrassing situation with the Prime Minister's volte-face.Insiders in the NC said Gujral's offer to militants had surprised Abdullah.

``There is no point in talking to militants at this stage when an elected government is fully in saddle,'' a party legislator said. Reportedly, the NC feels that a move for talks at this stage would weaken its authority to rule the State.

The Kashmiris who The Indian Express talked to, felt Gujral had backtracked on his offer under pressure from the NC and BJP. Observed a Kashmiri commentator: ``Such proposals should always be made after doing thorough homework, otherwise these are mere platitudes.'' He felt this was particularly important for Kashmir as the people here were ``extremely emotional''.

Gujral was lampooned by the local newspapers too for his remarkable turnaround. ``Earlier, Kashmiris would expect Indian leaders to change their statements after reaching Delhi. But Gujral set a record of sorts – he changed it within a day and before flying out of the Valley,'' a local newspaper said in its edit.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.