M A I N   N E W S

APHC chief praises Vajpayee
Mirwaiz to attend OIC meeting

New Delhi, June 24
Even as Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today came in for a “special praise” from Hurriyat Conference chairman Abdul Gani Bhat, who termed him as a man “with vision” and said this had led to great enthusiasm about the forthcoming Indo-Pak summit, the Centre allowed former APHC chairman Mirwaiz Omar Farooq to attend the OIC meeting at Mahi from tomorrow.

“I have already expressed the view that Mr Vajpayee is a man with vision and a man who has a deeper understanding of politics,” Mr Bhat said here.

About the ability of the Prime Minister in solving the Kashmir issue, he said “I think, given of course space and time, he (Vajpayee) can prove it in practical terms.”

He also had a word of praise for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, whom he described as a “rare combination of will and power.”

About Agra, the venue of talks, Mr Bhat said “If the two leaders decide to build a monument symbolising the resolution of disputes peacefully in the larger interest of the people in entire South Asia, the city would assume a historical significance for the people in the region.”

Meanwhile, in a positive gesture ahead of the summit, the Centre has allowed former All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Mirwaiz Omar Farooq to attend a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) at Mali from tomorrow.

Mirwaiz Farooq today left for Mali’s capital Bamako to participate in the foreign ministers’ meeting of the OIC, in which the APHC enjoys an observatory status. The five-day meeting will discuss Kashmir, Afghanistan, Palestine and other issues being faced by the Islamic world, APHC spokesperson Abdul Majid Banday said here.

The former APHC chairman is likely to meet Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar and ministers of other Islamic countries to brief them about the conglomerate’s stand vis-a-vis the Indo-Pak summit, he added. PTI, UNI