Jammu, June 28
To show its representative character APHC leaders plan to meet leaders of displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu camps and interact with people and political leaders here and in Ladakh.

According to senior APHC leader, Maulavi Abbas Ansari,” we are planning to visit the migrants’ camps in Jammu shortly.” He said “this will be supplemented with our interaction with political activists and common people in the state’s winter capital so that we have the support of a bigger section of people of all three regions to show that we are genuine representatives of the people,”he said.

During last several months the representative character of the APHC leaders was being questioned not only in India but in Pakistan and occupied Kashmir. Recently, Pakistan occupied Kashmir’s Prime Minister, Sardar Sikander Hayat Khan stated that the Hurriyat leaders represented a small section of people in Kashmir.

Maulavi Ansari confirmed that after Sardar Sikander Hayat Khan wanted “us to prove our representative character we have decided to visit Jammu and Ladakh.”

He said, to a question, that “it is not necessary for us to contest the Assembly poll for determining our representative character. “He said Mahatma Gandhi had never contested any election yet he was the sole representative of people of India.

Maulavi Ansari said “we have made it clear on many occasions, that we represent the aspirations of people of Kashmir.”

Inside reports said that the Kashmiri separatists are being motivated to contest the election not for forming the government but for proving their representative character. However, not many among them, according to informed sources, are prepared to face the electorate even if the poll was held for determining who represented people of the state.

The reason for this is that except for Maulvi Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mr Mohammad Yasin Malik, Mr Sajjad Lone and Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah, who have a say in a few contituencies, the rest do not have a constituency from where they expect to get a mandate.

Possibly it is out of this fear that Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah had declared sometime ago that he would contest the elections provided they were held under the UN supervision. This was a ploy to escape facing the electorate. Others have, in the past, stated that they do not participate in the elections as they have never been free.

Reports said that the APHC leaders no longer treat participation in the polls as mandatory after a leader of the stature of Gen Pervez Musharraf recognised the Hurriyat leaders’ participation in the talks necessary as they represented people of Kashmir.

However, even after this recognition the APHC leaders are in a predicament following, what they call, inordinate delay on the part of Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, in sending a formal invitation to them for the resumption of dialogue with the Centre.

Srinagar, June 28
The moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference has taken strong exception to the reports about meeting of its leaders with some ministers and leaders of the ruling parties. It has threatened to take a legal action.

A spokesman of the APHC, referring to the reports published in local newspapers here today, said a case would be filed in a court of law against those responsible for the report. In this connection, he referred to the owner of a local news agency that had here yesterday circulated the report. “This is not a fact”, said the spokesman. A legal action would be taken against those responsible for such irresponsible reports, he added.

APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had already denied that any such secret meetings between the two sides had taken place here. Some vested interest were trying to create confusion, he said. There was a religious function at the house of a businessman here, but “there was nothing political about it”, he said.

The reports suggested that Hurriyat Conference leaders had two meetings with the ruling party leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peoples Democratic Forum (PDF) here on June 21 at a religious meeting. The ministers included PDP leader and Tourism Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir and PDF leaders, Forest Minister, Ghulam Mohiuddin Sofi and the Revenue Minister Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen.

It reported that CPM general secretary and MLA M Y. Tarigami, an ally of the coalition government, who was also supposed to attend the meeting could not come.

The meetings were reportedly held to seek cooperation of the ruling parties to further their programme on Kashmir solution. While one meeting was here at the residence of a businessman, the other was held at the residence of Forest Minister Ghulam Mohiuddin Sofi.

Srinagar, June 28
Three militants, including a self-styled company commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, were killed and three others arrested in separate operations in Jammu and Kashmir, where three securitymen were among five persons injured since last night, a police spokesman said today.

Hizbul Mujahideen commander Rafiq Chopan, active for the past 10 years, was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Bhimdasa-Gool in Doda district last night, the spokesman said.

An AK rifle and a wireless set were recovered from the possession of the slain militant who was wanted in connection with a large number of incidents, including killings.

The security forces shot dead two more militants in a gunbattle at Gali Madan in Poonch district last night.

The spokesman said three security personnel were injured when militants opened fire on a search party at Wani-Dorusa in Kupwara district last night. The militants escaped after the encounter taking advantage of darkness.

Two civilians were also injured when they were caught in a crossfire between militants and the security forces at Richal-Marwah in Doda district last night, the spokesman said, adding that the incident took place when militants opened fire on a security patrolling party. — PTI