Centre-Hurriyat talks to begin on Monday

A 5-member Hurriyat team led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq will begin a dialogue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

After a long dithering on whether to talk to the Congress-led UPA Government, a five-member Hurriyat Conference team led by its chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq will begin a dialogue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Monday.

HT Image

The Centre-Hurriyat talks, which are taking place barely nine days before Singh meets Pakistan Prime Minister in New York, would be more or less of an introduction of the separatists to the new Central dispensation. The leaders are expected to reiterate their earlier demand of releasing political detenues and an assurance on ceasefire.

The Hurriyat delegation, which recently toured Pakistan occupied Kashmir in June this year, had raked up the ceasefire issue with militant organisations across the border which was turned down.

Despite keeping its doors open for the talks, the Hurriyat continued with its dilly-dally attitude and shied away from talks until the Centre gave a cold-shoulder to the amalgam leaders.

The amalgam expressed its keen desire to join the Centre for talks through Congress leader Saif-ud-din Soz and accepted a verbal invitation for meeting the Prime Minister on Monday though they were earlier harping on a special written invitation from the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister has been briefed by senior officials, including Centre's pointsman N N Vohra about the talks held with the Hurriyat on January 22 and March 27 last year by then Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani.