M A I N   N E W S

Seize this opportunity: Shah

NEW DELHI, Dec 7 (PTI) — Senior Kashmiri leader Shabir Shah today asked the Central Government to demonstrate seriousness to its peace initiative in Jammu and Kashmir and open a dialogue with separatists and Pakistan to consolidate the ceasefire which, he said, should be extended beyond Ramzan.

“For the past 50 years, Kashmiris have been subjected to repeated betrayals of trust... the Vajpayee Government must now demonstrate its seriousness to its peace initiative in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mr Shah, who heads the J and K Democratic Freedom Party, told PTI here.

Terming the Ramzan ceasefire as a “big step” by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, he said it had shown “a ray of hope”.

Even Pakistan has shown a good response by announcing “maximum restraint” by its troops on the Line of Control (LoC), he said, adding that New Delhi should seize “this opportunity”.

Regretting that an opportunity was missed when the three-month unilateral ceasefire declared by the Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit in July ended prematurely, he said “the second opportunity should not be allowed to fizzle out.”

ISLAMABAD: Former PoK Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan has said there is no need for tripartite talks on the Kashmir issue “at this stage” and proposed the holding of an intra-Kashmir dialogue under the auspices of an international body or think-tank to reduce tension in South Asia.

“Tripartite talks are not necessary at this stage. Let there be talks between Hurriyat and India and later there could be talks between Hurriyat and Pakistan,” English daily The News quoted him as saying.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Chief Executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf, has assured Cabinet colleagues that his peace initiative on Kashmir was not a sign of weakness but to promote peace in the region and hoped India would reciprocate.

According to informed sources, briefing Cabinet ministers at a meeting here yesterday, the General said his decision to ask Pakistani troops on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir to exercise “maximum restraint” was also to dispel the impression that military rulers in Pakistan were averse to peace moves in Kashmir.

Interacting with his colleagues on his peace initiative on Kashmir, General Musharraf said Pakistan’s defence was impregnable and there was no sign of weakness. 

PM to consider if Hurriyat men seek passports
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Dec 7 — In a significant development, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today said, “If all-party Hurriyat Conference approached us for permission to go to Pakistan, we would consider it”.

Talking to newspersons at Iftar of the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Mr Shahnawaz Khan, Mr Vajpayee said that first we would like to talk to our people.

Mr Vajpayee’s remark is an indication of the government’s thinking, the sources said, adding that the NDA government would first like to assess the thinking of the leaders of Hurriyat and other militant groups before starting a dialogue with Islamabad.

Already some non-official interlocutors are in touch with the Hurriyat leaders and trying to prepare the ground for an eventual dialogue with them, the sources said.

Hurriyat leaders attend Iftar

NEW DELHI, Dec 7 (UNI) — Several leaders belonging to the Hurriyat and other separatist parties of Jammu and Kashmir were present in full strength at an Iftar party hosted by Pakistan High Commissioner to India Ashraf Jehangir Qazi at the High Commission here this evening.

Senior separatist leaders, including Moulvi Abbas Ansari and Shabir Shah flew here from Srinagar earlier today to attend the Iftar. However, all of them remained tight-lipped about their future course of action.

Those who were present included Hurriyat Chairman Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, former Chairman Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, JKLF leader Yaseen Malik and others.