This time All Parties Hurriyat Conference leadership is not setting any conditions for talking to the Centre before its visit to Pakistan in January next year. But no plans have been worked out for resumption of dialogue with the Centre to date.
The APHC is yet to receive any signal of its talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from Prime Minister’s Office( PMO- usual practice of pre- dialogue process between the separatists and the Centre.
The moderate APHC leadership is scheduled to visit Pakistan in January next year. It is carrying a set of proposals on Kashmir solution to be discussed with President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan. It would like Pakistan to take up those issues with India during their talks on Kashmir.
"We are willing to talk to the Prime Minister even before our Pakistan visit. That is not an issue. But there should be some kind of invitation one way or the other," APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told Hindustan Times.
“The invitation is not a condition, the talks can be arranged through other means,” he said. It was a hint that the intermediaries could play a role in fixing date of convenience between Prime Minister and the APHC leaders for the third round of dialogue.
{{/usCountry}}“The invitation is not a condition, the talks can be arranged through other means,” he said. It was a hint that the intermediaries could play a role in fixing date of convenience between Prime Minister and the APHC leaders for the third round of dialogue.
{{/usCountry}}First two rounds had taken place in September 2005 and May 2006.
This attitude is in sharp contrast to APHC’s earlier insistence that it first be allowed to visit Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir before talking to the Centre.
It was only after APHC had visited Pakistan and PoK in June last year that they held talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 5, 2005, that too after it received a formal invitation for the talks.
The Mirwaiz, however, ruled out the possibility of his conglomerate seeking an appointment for talks with the Centre.
"If there is invite well and good and if not then these talks should be arranged as it was done last time,” he said referring to the May 3 meeting, which was arranged through intermediaries.
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had played a crucial role in facilitating that meeting. He had taken up the issue with Prime Minister and pleaded for the resumption of dialogue. His efforts were furthered by other functionaries.
"At this point, there is no such thing so far," Mirwaiz said.He is leaving for Ireland early December 11 mornings.
The Mirwaiz dismissed the reports that he is meeting any interlocutor of Centre on December 12. "I will be in Ireland on that day," Mirwaiz said in categorical terms.
But he made it clear that the APHC is for the restart of dialogue. "We have said it too often those talks are the way out
And we are already in the process of seeking solution of Kashmir crisis through talks involving all Delhi, Islamabad, Muzzaffarabad and Srinagar.” It is APHC’s way of showing that his group was involving all the people and all the places in India and Pakistan and two sides of Jammu and Kashmir in seeking the Kashmir solution.
E mail Arun Joshi" a_joshi957@rediffmail.com