M A I N   N E W S

Pant’s emissary to meet Shah today
M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 14
The first major step Mr K.C. Pant, government’s chief negotiator took was in the shape of responding to the letter written to him by the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chief, Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah.

An emissary of Mr Pant will be flying to Srinagar with his reply which will be delivered to Mr Shah in his office in the summer capital tomorrow.

In fact, Mr Shah today received a phone call from Delhi informing him that Mr Pant’s emissary will be meeting him for delivering a letter which is in reply to the letter which has handed over to Mr Pant by Mr Shah’s two emissaries a week ago.

Informed sources said Mr Pant had a secret meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, before the reply to Mr Shah’s letter was drafted. He is said to have discussed the contents of the letter with the senior functionaries of the Union Home Ministry.

Mr Shah, in his letter, had sought clarification from Mr Pant and had informed him that he and his party would join talks in case the issues raised by him were explained and were found suitable to him.

In the letter Mr Shah wanted to know from Mr Pant whether the Government of India considered Pakistan a party to the dispute and was willing to hold talks with Islamabad. He wanted to know whether the government was willing to hold talks with militants who could not be ignored.

Mr Shah told TNS that to his one more query Mr Pant had already told mediapersons in Delhi that the talks were aimed at discussing the Kashmir issue.

The sources said Mr Pant, in his reply to Mr Shah’s letter has stated that the Government of India had made it clear that it was prepared to talk to Islamabad provided Pakistan stopped aiding and encouraging cross-border terrorism. Mr Shah has also been informed that Pakistan could be involved in the talks at a later stage but at first all political leaders, of various hues and ideologies, in Jammu and Kashmir had to be involved in the parleys so as to identify the problem, issues and reason for turmoil in order to find ways and means to tackle them.

As far as holding talks with militants was concerned Mr Pant is said to have informed Mr Shah that the government had kept its doors open for everybody to express their opinion. The government had initiated a peace process by declaring non-initiation of combat operations to encourage all separatist groups to hold talks with the Centre.

When Mr Shah was asked to comment on the clarification made in the letter from Mr Pant he said “let me first receive the letter.” “I will study the letter and like a true democrat discuss the contents of the letter with my partymen and act according”, he added.

When reminded that there was not much difference between the stand taken by him and that of the APHC on the proposed talks Mr Shah said there was a difference of approach. The APHC wanted the involvement of Pakistan in the parleys or permission to the Hurriyat team to visit Pakistan before the start of the talks but “I want that Pakistan should not be sidelined if India wants a durable settlement of the Kashmir issue.”

Mr Shah explained that modalities regarding the time for involving Pakistan in the talks could be discussed when the parleys with Mr Pant were actually started. “You cannot reject talks and sit at home brooding over the turmoil,” he added.

The DFP chief disclosed that he had suggested to the senior vice-president of his party, Mr Mehmood Ahmed Sagar, who is staying in Pakistan to meet several leaders there and seek their opinion and guidance on the proposed talks.

Mr Shah said Mr Sagar had met several leaders, including former PoK Prime Minister, Sardar Abdul Qayoom Khan, the JKLF supremo, Mr Amanullah Khan, Jehad Council chief, Syed Aalahuddin, Mr Farooq Rehmani and they had given their opinion which would be discussed within his party forum at a later stage.

He said that the government had thrown open a window of opportunity and all those keen to see the settlement of the Kashmir issue and restoration of peace in the state should opt for a dialogue which was going to be a prolonged affair.

Mr Shah and his colleagues in the DFP are aware of the threat from those keen on derailing the peace process but he seems to be keen to fathom the mind of the government and then proceed accordingly as he would not like to act as stooge or mouth-piece of one side or the other and accept or reject the offer for talks with his eyes closed.