Not against talks with Centre, says hardline Hurriyat

Hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference on Sunday said they are not against talks with the Centre to resolve the Kashmir issue given that the government approaches them with good intentions.

Hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference on Sunday said they are not against talks with the Centre to resolve the Kashmir issue given that the government approaches them with good intentions.

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However, the hardline faction, headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, said the talks should not be aimed at "coercing" people of Kashmir.

Reacting to state Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar's Republic Day speech, in which he asked separatists to enter the dialogue process, the Hurriyat spokesman said the outfit believes that complicated issues can only be resolved through talks and it was not scared of the dialogue process.

"However, talks are held when all the parties come to the table with good intentions ... not like Beg-Parthasarthy talks which are aimed at coercing Kashmiris into surrender," the spokesman said.

He said the Hurriyat had put forth few suggestions to the Centre for creating a conducive atmosphere for holding talks for resolution of Kashmir issue.