Moderate Hurriyat faction for talks to resolve Kashmir issue

A day after Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra stated that the state government would initiate a dialogue with separatists, the moderate Hurriyat Conference on Thursday gave enough hints that it was ready for the exercise.

The moderate Hurriyat faction on Thursday called a meeting of its executive council here against the backdrop of Vohra’s statement and decided to be part of any dialogue process that aims at resolving the Kashmir issue.

“Hurriyat has always preferred serious dialogue as a means to solve issues. The Kashmir issue is the main cause of confrontation between India and Pakistan and it is linked to the political aspirations of Kashmiris. As such, any dialogue aimed at resolving this complex dispute cannot afford to ignore the participation of genuine Kashmiri leadership in such an exercise,” said a statement from the faction’s office that was issued immediately after the meeting.

Sources told Deccan Herald that the separatists have also got a green signal from Pakistan to be part of any dialogue process started by New Delhi. “A delegation of moderate separatists led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq will visit the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi next week and hold talks with Islamabad over the offer of talks from the government,” a source said.

The moderate Hurriyat also termed the resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan as a “step in the right direction” and hoped that through the foreign secretary-level talks between the two neighbours, a comprehensive and result-oriented dialogue would be initiated to solve the Kashmir dispute.

To show its willingness to enter a dialogue process with New Delhi, the Hurriyat said it would stand by its constitution that the Kashmir issue can be resolved through a sustained dialogue process between India, Pakistan and Kashmiris.

On Wednesday, the governor had addressed a joint session of the state legislature where he had said the BJP-PDP coalition government would initiate talks with separatists.

“The coalition will facilitate and help initiate a sustained and meaningful dialogue with all internal stakeholders, which will include all political groups irrespective of their ideological views and predilections.”