M A I N   N E W S

Hurriyat leaders in Delhi
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, April 29 — Two senior Hurriyat Conference leaders, Molvi Umar Farooq and Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, have flown to Delhi following the APHC talks with the US Congressmen, Mr Devi Bonior, here on Thursday.

Informed sources said the Hurriyat Conference leaders were advised to find a way out to end the stalemate and hold talks with the Indian Government.

Informed sources said the unscheduled visit of the two senior leaders to Delhi was to be utilised for conveying the gist of their talks with the US Congressman to senior functionaries of the Pakistan High Commission.

Hitherto the Pakistani agencies are said to have opposed talks between the Government of India and the Hurriyat Conference. The Hurriyat leaders have already received a red signal from across the border which prompted the Hurriyat Chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, to announce recently that he was not for bilateral but tripartite talks. He wanted Pakistan to be included in the talks.

However, Mr Bonior is said to have advised the Hurriyat leaders that things could be sorted out through bilateral talks.

Meanwhile in another significant development, the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernanies met former Chief Minister Syed Mir Qasim and a former minister, Mr G.M. Rajpori. Though political observers see the visit by the Defence Minister as a courtesy call, reports indicate that Mr Qasim’s help is being sought in bringing the Hurriyat leaders to the negotiating table.

The Defence Minister’s visit to the HMT unit in Srinagar and the REC here is said to be a part of his mission to keep the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, in humour.

What seems to have irritated the Chief Minister is the way the Centre refused to help him in resolving the acute financial crisis in the state. Most of the demands of the Chief Minister, including reimbursement of security expenses and deployment of additional forces, have not been conceded by the Centre.

Of late he and his party colleagues have nursed a feeling that the Centre is trying to win over the Hurriyat leaders and other separatists to prepare ground for Mr Farooq’s dismissal.

Informed sources said Dr Farooq is said to have conveyed to the Defence Minister that he was losing ground in the state because of the “unhelpful” attitude of the Centre. The Defence Minister is stated to have advised Dr Farooq to exercise restraint in his utterances.