Tribune News ServiceSrinagar, November 20
A crucial general council meeting of the Hurriyat Conference to discuss the Centre’s offer of talks remained inconclusive today, even as dissident faction leaders continued to stay away. Any decisions taken at today’s meeting would be announced by Hurriyat leaders at Jama Masjid during Friday prayers here tomorrow.
The meeting, which lasted over four hours, was held at the APHC headquarters at Rajbagh. This followed a meeting of 22 separatist leaders of different political organisations called by the founder chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, here yesterday. Yesterday’s meeting was conspicuous by the absence of the Jamaat-e-Ialami, the JKLF and three other constituent groups of the APHC.
Today’s meeting, headed by the APHC chairman, Moulvi Abbas Ansari, was attended by only four of the seven executive committee members, besides other members of its general council. Those staying away from the meeting included senior Jamaat leader and chairman of the breakaway faction of the APHC, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik and the representative of the Peoples League, which is affiliated to the Geelani faction.
The APHC leaders declined to divulge any details when waiting mediapersons asked about any decision taken at the meeting regarding the Centre’s offer of talks. They said an announcement regarding this would be made during the Friday prayer meeting at Jama Masjid tomorrow.
