The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Wednesday, October 1, 2003, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

J A M M U & K A S H M I R

Efforts on for patch-up between Hurriyat factions
M. L. Kak
Our Correspondent

Jammu, September 30
The All-Party Hurriyat Conference APHC (Abbas) has extended the date for the receipt of reply to its show-cause notice issued to eight leaders who had defected to the faction headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

The executive committee of the APHC (Abbas) had, in its show-cause notice, directed the party men to explain as why disciplinary action was not initiated against them for defecting to the Geelani camp within one week. However, the APHC (Abbas) leadership has chosen to avoid taking any hasty decision.

“We have extended the date for the receipt of the reply to our show-cause notice,” Molvi Abbas Ansari party chairman said today.

He said “We will wait till the Chairman of the Awami Action Committee, Molvi Umar Farooq, completed his renewed efforts for bringing about reconciliation between the leaders of the two factions of the APHC. He was hopeful that those who had “left us” would return “to our fold”.

Several APHC leaders seem to have realised that the split in the 25-party conglomerate had “weakened our position”. According to Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, a former APHC Chairman, “We are in the process of consolidating our position and hence we have not been in a position to spell out our future programme.”

EARLIER STORIES

	Mufti invites Jammu residents to valley September 30, 2003
	12 intruders shot September 29, 2003
	Two soldiers, 4 militants among 8 killed September 28, 2003
	300 kg RDX seized, nine militants killed September 27, 2003
	Give due share to Ladakh, says Sonia September 26, 2003
	India, Pak must begin talks, says Hurriyat Conference September 25, 2003
	Youths pawns in political game September 24, 2003
	Five intruders shot dead September 23, 2003
	Tahir's village vows agitation September 22, 2003
	Poor emoluments to defence panel members September 21, 2003
	7 top IAS officers transferred September 20, 2003

To a question he said “the faction led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, too has not announced its programme as far as carrying the ongoing struggle to its logical conclusion was concerned.”

He explained that the Geelani faction announced that the Kashmir issue be settled within the parameters of the UN resolution but Mr Geelani has not made it clear as to how the resolution could be implemented.

Prof Bhat referred to Mr Geelani’s support to the tripartite talks and said “if the stage for trilateral parleys was set who could represent people of Kashmir”. He was categorical that Mr Geelani and his group could not claim to have the support of majority of people in Kashmir. He admitted that the situation had changed for the APHC after the split and “we have to resolve the conflict within the separatist camp before we are in a position to announce future programme of action.”