The meeting, which was held at the residence of its Chairman, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, was attended by former Chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq, Moulana Abass Ansari, Abdul Gani Lone and Sheikh Abdul Aziz.

Former Chairman and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani did not attend the meeting, being considered ‘very crucial’ in view of the latest political developments in India and Pakistan.

However, he was represented by Qazi Ahadullah, while Bashir Ahmad Bhat represented Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chief Mohammad Yaseen Malik, who is in the USA.

Hurriyat sources said the meeting, which was still on, discussed in detail the overall political situation in the state. A spokesman of the Hurriyat Conference told waiting journalists that the meeting would continue till late in the night and might be extended till tomorrow.

Earlier, Mr Bhat said the Hurriyat had not stopped or suspended its political activity but only deferred for the time being agitational programmes and strike calls.

“I will quit politics if anybody infers from the statement issued by the Hurriyat that it has suspended its political activities,” Mr Bhat said.

Accusing Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh of throwing all rules of diplomacy to the wind, Mr Lone said New Delhi would be showing disrespect to General Musharraf by not allowing the Musharraf-Hurriyat meeting as it was a prerogative of the visiting dignitary to meet anyone. UNI, PTI