Hurriyat says no to PM's talks invite

In a blow to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's initiative to broaden the dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue, moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference today rejected his invitation for a conference on February 25, saying "time was not ripe for such a meet."

After a three-hour-long meeting of Hurriyat's executive council, working committee and general council here, its Chairman, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said the members decided not to attend the conference as they felt it would "harm" the dialogue process between the Centre and the separatist amalgam and is "bound to create confusion".

Apparently peeved over the Centre's move to invite other separatist groups, Mirwaiz said, "It will be only noise in the crowd and no discussions will take place."

Pro-Pakistan hardline leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was the first to spurn the offer for talks. He was followed by separatist leader Shabir Shah and JKLF chief Yaseen Malik, who held talks with the Prime Minister last week.

Among the parties which form the amalgam, only leaders from the Kashmir Salvation Front argued in favour of attending the conference. Mirwaiz said the Hurriyat was not against the government holding talks with "other people" of Jammu and Kashmir but felt that the proposed meet was "without agenda".

Mirwaiz said the grouping was of the opinion that time was not ripe for holding of such a conference as talks between the "three parties" (India, Pakistan and Kashmiris) had not made any headway.

"When such a conference becomes imperative, that meeting should include the leadership of Jammu and Kashmir across the Line of Control apart from Indians and Pakistanis," he said.

He added the Hurriyat, during the first round of talks with the Prime Minister, had given some suggestions for resolving the issue. "Unfortunately, the government has neither taken any worthwhile step in this regard nor taken forward the dialogue process," he said.

"Instead, the government convened this conference without an agenda, which will harm the process instead of benefiting it and create more confusion," he said.

He said the Hurriyat, which "initiated" talks with the Prime Minister and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, was bound to extend cooperation to the dialogue process.

"Hurriyat is bound to take the dialogue process to its logical end. In this regard, Hurriyat is ready to extend every type of cooperation for the success of the talks", he said, adding it considered dialogue as the only way to resolve this "complicated" issue.

Referring to the dialogue between the Centre and the Hurriyat, Mirwaiz said the amalgam entered into the dialogue as per its constitution, which seeks an "honourable" solution to the issue through tripartite talks.

"The step was a courageous one as we jumped into the field for a peaceful solution even as some pro-freedom parties and individuals criticised the initiative and termed it a sellout," he said, adding the time had proved that the amalgam was "timely and correct".