Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will discuss President Pervez Musharraf's proposals with All Parties' Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders in New Delhi next week, even before making them official to the Indian government.
APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq told HT he has received the invite for the meeting with Aziz in New Delhi on November 24, in which it has been promised that President Musharraf's proposals would be discussed.
Farooq said that he is very happy with the development as the Pakistan government has recognised the importance of talking to the Kashmiri leadership. "We have decided to visit Delhi to hold talks with Aziz. Pakistan will show its road map and we will show our own roadmap for a solution to the Kashmir crisis," he said.
Farooq also indicated that APHC would be willing to put aside its "requirement" for the Pakistan visit if the Indian government extends a formal invite to them for talks.
When asked why the Hurriyat would be talking to Aziz, but shying away from talks with the Indian Prime Minister who has urged all the groups to come forward and sit across the table, the Mirwaiz said: "Look, there is a difference. Pakistan has invited us for talks, the Government of India has not."
{{/usCountry}}When asked why the Hurriyat would be talking to Aziz, but shying away from talks with the Indian Prime Minister who has urged all the groups to come forward and sit across the table, the Mirwaiz said: "Look, there is a difference. Pakistan has invited us for talks, the Government of India has not."
{{/usCountry}}About the Pakistan visit the Mirwaiz said: "It is a requirement, not a condition. The requirement factor comes up because, first, we need to speak to Pakistan, the party to the Kashmir dispute. It is a must for the resolution of the Kashmir crisis. Secondly, the Jehad Council, the body of people who have picked up guns, is in Pakistan. We have got to talk to them as well. Here, we are not aware of their location. In Pakistan, they are visible," he said.
"The UPA government created confusion at the outset. First, it said conditional, then unconditional but constitutional. Now, the invite is vague. If the PM is sincere, let him specifically take the Hurriyat Conference's name. He is talking as if we have no identity of our own," the Mirwaiz said.