Malik, who is founder of the JKLF and has spent much of his life in jail, said the time has come for the international community to address the conflict at a priority level if they are serious in their resolve to bring peace and stability to South Asia.

The separatist leader was in Jeddah after performing Haj.

Malik proudly claims to have started the first armed struggle for “Kashmir's liberation.” However, he is a changed man now and has interestingly started preaching nonviolence and praising Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi.

He called for adopting nonviolent Gandhian means to resolve the contentious Kashmir issue. He attributed his change of heart to some Western diplomats who visited him during his open-heart surgery in Delhi and a realization that violence cannot bring peace.

Malik said he declared a unilateral cease-fire against Indian security forces in 1994. “I took a very unpopular decision. Many of my friends resented my decision to renounce violence. But now they realize that I was right. There is no support for militant movements in the world now. You have to keep your political movement alive, and this is what we are trying to do by pursuing it through nonviolent means.”

Malik alleges that since his unilateral truce in 1994, 600 of his followers were killed and he was jailed 200 times by the Indian authorities. “All that failed to deter me from my goal. I have not lost faith in my peaceful struggle for Kashmir and am sure the sacrifice of thousands of Kashmiris will bear fruit soon.”

Malik's turn as a moderate leader apparently did not go down well with the militants. A recent report claims that he is on the militants’ hit list.

The Kashmiri leader further said, “Since India has emerged as an economic powerhouse it cannot afford to ignore the Kashmir issue. It is in India’s interest to resolve it at the earliest possible opportunity and that's why I feel the time has come for the international community to play a constructive role and use their weight to ensure that all three parties in dispute — India, Pakistan and the Kashmiris, sit down and resolve this issue.”

“This is not a border dispute that the two countries need to decide. It’s a human issue. It is the question of the future of a civilized and educated nation. Kashmiris are not ready to listen to decisions about their fate on TV and radio. They should be given a chance to decide their future and any decision taken without their participation will never be acceptable to them.”

Malik said three generation of Kashmiris have been struggling for their liberation, “and we don’t want this struggle to be transferred to the next generation.”

The JKLF chairman maintained that the time had come when India should stop repeating the past politics and tactics. “India should take positive and bold steps to resolve the Kashmir problem, once and for all,” he added.

He welcomed the resumption of the peace process between the two nations, stalled since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, but said it must deliver a settlement.

“India and Pakistan must focus on resolving their dispute over Kashmir by capitalizing on newly-built trust or risk a new wave of militancy in the region,” he said.

“Now is the right time to focus on the solution,” Malik said. “There should be a timeframe for the process and it should not be a waste of time, as has happened in the past.

Malik said that the biggest impediments to constructive dialogue on Kashmir are the Hindu outfits like the Bahratiya Janata Party, the RSS, VHP and the Bajrang Dal. “The moment any government takes steps to resolve Kashmir, these groups start their smear and hatred campaign. An awareness campaign on the Kashmir dispute should be launched by the Indian media impartially to educate people about this problem and then only can any credible solution be made.”