Hurriyat meets PM, pushes for troop reduction in J&K

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today held talks with representatives of the moderate faction of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, bestowing a degree of legitimacy on the amalgam. But there was no movement on a demand by the Hurriyat "" that Pakistan be consulted on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a trilateral dialogue.

At the talks, the APHC was led by its Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.

Aided by a battery of advisers "" Special Envoy SK Lambah, National Security Adviser MK Narayanan and Adviser NN Vora "" the Prime Minister listened to what Farooq had to say on Kashmir: that there must be a reduction in the number of security forces in the Valley, that Pakistan should be brought into the talks in order to consolidate the position of the Kashmiri people, including those in Azad Kashmir, and that the human rights of Kashmiris be respected through specific confidence-building measures such as reviewing the Disturbed Areas Act, and release of political prisoners.

"The situation is much more conducive and India-Pakistan relations are very much on track. The Hurriyat's recent visit to Pakistan and the endorsement of its policies by Islamabad and the PoK regime have put the amalgam on a stronger wicket," Farooq said ahead of the talks. "The political process of finding some space for Kashmiris in the talks for the resolution of the issue should be completed," he told the Prime Minister.

Besides Farooq, the Hurriyat delegation comprised former Hurriyat Chairmen Abdul Gani Bhat, Moulana Abbas Ansari and Bilal Lone, and Fazal-ul-Haq Qureshi.

"What we require is consolidation and continuity of the dialogue process with the Centre besides being allowed to hold talks with the Pakistani regime. This will complete the cycle of the Hurriyat's triangular concept of dialogue whereby all the three - India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir - are represented at the talks," Farooq said.

Asked whether the Hurriyat was averse to the involvement of other separatist groups, Farooq said, "Let the talks begin. Others will soon follow. I will like to make it clear that we are not against the involvement of other groups."

However, before today's talks, Syed Ali Shah Geelani at a press conference in Srinagar said the moderate faction of the Hurriyat was not the "true representative" of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and its talks with the Prime Minister Manmohan would yield no lasting solution.

"Some people have gone to Delhi for talks. We have no doubt that they are not the true representatives of people of Jammu and Kashmir who have made immense sacrifices for the right to self-determination," Geelani said. "They (the moderates) are not the inheritors of five lakh martyrs of the state," he added.