Former RAW chief says Mirwaiz ready for dialogue

 A day after moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said there is scope for dialogue with New Delhi, former chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) A K Dulat Friday claimed that he met the separatist leader in New Delhi recently.

A local news agency quoting Dulat said Mirwaiz is keen to have a dialogue on Kashmir with New Delhi. “I met him (Mirwaiz) in Delhi a few days ago and asked him to hold dialogue with New Delhi on Kashmir at the earliest. Mirwaiz is keen to have dialogue on Kashmir and the response of his faction of Hurriyat has always remained positive for talks,” Dulat claimed.

The moderate Hurriyat chairman had on Thursday indicated during an interview with media in Srinagar that there was scope for talks with New Delhi if Vajpayee-type dialogue is revisited.

The former spy chief, Dulat, who also served as Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s adviser on Kashmir, termed Mirwaiz as a ‘big’ player in Kashmir due to his position, platform and constituency. “Mirwaiz has a strong foothold in Kashmir and his participation in dialogue will be most important,” he said.

Despite repeated attempts Mirwaiz wasn’t available for his comments.

‘Geelani frustrated’

However, Dulat snubbed hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Geelani for his recent statement that gun could be an option for the resolution of Kashmir issue.

“I don’t know if he has done this on somebody’s advice or it is frustration,” the former RAW chief said. Dulat advised Syed Geelani to realise the ground situation and understand that it is not 1990.

“You had international support at that time and people used to call gunmen freedom fighters. But in today’s world gunmen are called terrorists and there is no support to the gun in the present world order,” he added.