Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit meets separatist leaders for 3rd consecutive day

Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Tuesday continued holding consultations for the third consecutive day with separatist leaders from Jammu and Kashmir during which he sought their help for building an environment of peace in the sub-continent.

The first delegation was led by former chairman of moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference Abdul Gani Bhat which was followed by a team of hardline Hurriyat led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

After his hour-long meeting, Bhat told PTI that it is important for peace in India and Pakistan that there should be friendship between the two countries.

"We are with any such move that forges a new era of friendship between two neighbours of the South Asia. We have to understand that dialogue is the only way to move forward," he said.

A professor of Persian language, Bhat said every Indian and Pakistani citizen was in favour of friendship between the two countries as this will not benefit this region only but the entire world.

"He (Basit) told us that both the countries were moving towards resolution of all outstanding issues including Kashmir," Bhat said, adding "he sought help from Hurriyat Conference in contributing towards building an environment for that."

He regretted controversies created over the meetings between separatists and the Pakistani High Commissioner saying "I wonder why are some people seeing red. I pray that they should get the sense of urgency of having a good relations between the neighbouring countries."

The media criticism of Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh's presence at the Pakistan High Commission reception yesterday has no basis, Bhat said and advised media to contribute in peace rather than become an obstacle.

Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, who held a separate one-to-one meeting with Basit on Sunday, also said that speculation in media should not be given importance.

"The matter is whether there ia political will between the two countries to go together. Media cannot make the government hostage, it cannot make the situation of Kashmir or Kashmir policy as a hostage," the Mirwaiz said.

As for Hurriyat Conference, it is also a constituent and representing an opinion of people of Kashmir and "we will be happy talking to India as well as Pakistan.

"When the two sovereign nations will sit across the table, all issues including Kashmir will go together. In case any country shies away from the Kashmir issue, we may be talking peace but we don't mean peace then," Bhat, who was accompanied by Aga Sayeed Hassan Badgami and Mukhtar Waza, said.

Later, Geelani held a separate one-to-one meeting with Basit which was followed by delegation level talks in which his spokesman Ayaz Akbar, son-in-law Altaf Shah and Bashir Ahmed participated for nearly two hours.

Later talking to PTI, the spokesman of the hardline faction said it was for a peaceful resolution to Kashmir issue and expressed happiness over the presence of the Minister of State for External Affairs at the Pakistani High Commission yesterday.

"Finally India has realised that any breakdown in dialogue is not in its own benefit. Today's meeting was very important one which carried on for nearly three hours.

"We have made it clear that we are in favour of dialogue but the dialogue has to be Kashmir specific first. If both the countries find a solution according to the aspirations of the people of the state, other issues will be sorted out automatically," he said.

The separatist leaders had yesterday attended the Pakistan Day celebrations at the High Commission here.

JKLF Chairman, who attended yesterday celebrations, was, however, not called for a separate meeting by the Pakistani envoy.