Srinagar, Jan. 2 -- Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has called for dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, saying when there is sincere willingness to engage in the spirit of "insaniyat aur jamhooriyat" peace gets the best chance. He also claimed that he was put under house arrest on the very first Friday of the New Year and was not allowed to offer prayers at Srinagar's Jama Masjid.

In a statement issued here, Mirwaiz said Kashmiris are natural optimists and that dialogue has worked elsewhere and their hope remains alive. "When there is sincere willingness to engage in the spirit of "insaniyat aur jamhooriyat", as Vajpayee ji once said, peace gets the best chance," he said.

He said that the role he sees for myself inherited from my predeces...