M A I N   N E W S

APHC may opt for conditional talks
M. L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 22
Though the General Council of the APHC, which meets in Srinagar tomorrow, is yet to give a final shape to the party’s decision on the offer for talks by the chief negotiator, Mr K. C. Pant, the separatist conglomerate of 23 parties is likely to accept the offer, but on two conditions.

The issue was first discussed by the seven-member Executive Committee of the APHC and by the 21-member Working Committee. There was no consensus as far as the question of acceptance or rejection of the offer for talks was concerned. However, indications are that the APHC would accept the offer and meet Mr Pant individually and collectively.

Yesterday, during a discussion on the talks offer Mr Shabir Dar of the Muslim Conference, opposed the idea of holding talks with Mr Pant without allowing the Hurriyat team to visit Pakistan. However, another Muslim Conference member favoured conditional talks. Similarly, the two members from the Jamait-e-Islami sounded a discordant note. While Mr Asad Ullah Qazi opposed negotiations, another Jamaat leader wanted to grab the opportunity to find out to what extent the Government of India was sincere.

Sources close to the APHC leaders said the separatist conglomerate would ultimately favour conditional talks. In this connection those in favour of parleys have started meeting members of the General Council to persuade them to vote for talks.

In this context a resolution will be drafted suggesting the government either to allow the Hurriyat team to visit Pakistan before the talks or permit members of the Executive Committee to hold talks with Delhi and Islamabad simultaneously.

Informed sources said the APHC may not insist on any time schedule for its team to visit Pakistan. The second condition may be that the government should hold separate talks with the APHC representatives and not group them with traders, trade union leaders and mainstream political leaders.

Also, the government should first make it abundantly clear that the basic purpose of the parleys was to resolve the Kashmir issue and not simply to discuss measures for the restoration of peace in the state.

According to informed sources, APHC leaders have been told that they would be allowed to visit Pakistan for talks with leaders of militant groups and other separatist outfits provided they visited Delhi for the first round of talks with Mr Pant.

These sources said the People’s Democratic chief and a former Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has been active in bringing APHC leaders to the negotiating table. The Mufti has also suggested to Union Home Ministry functionaries that there is no harm if the APHC team is given permission to visit Pakistan.

Reports said the APHC would have announced its rejection or acceptance of the offer for talks, but it has not got a clear signal from Islamabad. Pakistan is keen to use the APHC to force New Delhi to resume either direct talks with Islamabad or open tripartite parleys. Islamabad is not keen to sabotage negotiations between the Government of India and the APHC because in case the APHC does not accept the offer for talks, others may grab the opportunity.

Once the APHC turns down the offer for talks, Pakistan may lose its bargaining capacity when the US Government is keen to carry the peace process to its logical conclusion.