M A I N   N E W S

Farooq to quit if APHC joins poll
Hurriyat agrees for talks in Delhi
Tribune News Service and Agencies

Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah (Right) with Ram Jaithmalani (left) at his residence in Srinagar on Saturday. Ram Jaithmalani head of a private Kashmiri committee is here to talks with separatists leaders and also Govt. — Photo Amin War

Earlier, during his 90-minute meeting with the Kashmir Committee, headed by former Law Minister Ram Jethmalani, in Srinagar, Mr Abdullah said, “I have told the committee to convey to the Hurriyat leadership that I am willing to hold talks and even willing to hear their conditions for participation in the poll.”

Abdul Gani Bhat (right), Chairman of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, with Ram Jaithmalani at the Hurriyat headquarters in Srinagar on Saturday. — Photo AW

Commenting on the three-hour meeting with the committee led by Mr Ram Jethmalani at the APHC headquarters here this evening, the Hurriyat Conference chairman, Mr Abdul Ghani Bhat, said there was a desire on both sides to “make it a purposeful dialogue.

The APHC has taken a position that India, Pakistan and Kashmir should work according to a mechanism which they agree upon, then anything can happen”, Mr Bhat said in reply to a question.

Reacting to the Prime Minister’s statement that the Centre would talk to any body in Kashmir and at anytime, Mr Bhat said the APHC would discuss it and then reply.

“We will have to involve Pakistan, India and Kashmir as well. If we do not do this we will not be able to achieve a breakthrough. But, in the first meeting no miracles could happen”, he said.

He said the APHC would not be appealing to militants for a ceasefire at the moment, but added that violence did not play part in the dialogue. Commenting on the day’s meetings, Mr Jethmalani said there was a significant change in the statement of the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, who had only a day before criticised the role of the committee, but had different views after meeting the committee members.

He said the APHC had taken the position that the wishes of people of Jammu and Kashmir be ascertained through a mechanism agreed upon by India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir.

Cong not to have alliance in J&K: Azad
Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 17
Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Ghulam Nabi Azad today said that the party would have no alliance in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Azad, who has been ailing for some time, told The Tribune here that if Governor’s rule was not imposed on the state before elections, it could not only affect participation of people but also have an impact on his party’s tally. However, he was confident that the Congress would form the next government in the state. No one, he said, was being projected as Chief Minister by the party and the issue would be decided after the poll.

Mr Azad was among the first Congress leaders to demand the imposition of Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir. The demand was later taken up by the Congress with Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani. He said the party was not demanding Governor’s rule to ensure free and fair poll and get more seats. “This would ensure greater participation in the poll,” he said.

Mr Azad, who held 95 public meetings in the state since he took over as PCC chief in April, questioned the rationale of autonomy talks between the Centre and the Farooq government. He said the talks which were now for “greater devolution” were being held only to help the National Conference. Mr Azad said the NC remembered the issue after four years of its rule and the BJP-led government, which had rejected the demand, had now agreed to talk again on the issue. “Both the NC and BJP are fooling the people... they are hand-in-glove,” he said.

Asked about the Congress response to the demand from certain sections for the postponement of poll in the state if the Hurriyat Conference decided to take part, Mr Azad said the party would have considered it had the separatist conglomerate shown some response.

The Kashmir Committee headed by Mr Ram Jethmalani, which was having talks with the Hurriyat Conference, had said it would demand the postponement of poll if the conglomerate decided to take part in the poll.

Mr Azad said Congress workers and leaders had not been provided adequate security by the Jammu and Kashmir Government but party workers were coping with the odds.

He said most of the development in Jammu and Kashmir had taken place during the Congress rule. “The Congress was firm on principles of secularism and had ensured equal development of all regions,” he said.

“Lack of governance” during the NC rule would be one of the main poll planks of the Congress, he said.

Mr Azad will go to Jammu and Kashmir on a two-day visit tomorrow. During his stay, he will preside over a meeting of the state’s election committee. He would also address a convention of the Gujjar-Bakerwal community in Jammu.