SRINAGAR, Nov 5: Moderate separatist leaders in Kashmir are likely to accept an invite from Pakistan to hold meetings with the country’s leadership besides interacting with civil society members.
“We have already decided to visit Pakistan on December 17 for a week and to finalize the programme the Hurriyat Executive will meet on November 6 at Rajbagh headquarters,” Mirwaiz told local news agencies.
The Hurriyat leaders will also be travelling to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi soon to finalize the itinerary.
This will be the the first formal conversation between Kashmir’s separatist leaders and Pakistani leadership in nearly four years. The last meeting was in 2008 when the separatists travelled by the cross-LoC bus to the neighbouring country.
The visit of the separatist leaders is expected to be smooth as New Delhi is unlikely to create any hurdles as it feels curbing interaction may breed suspicion, the Indian Express wrote.
Moreover, India feels the meeting is only a tactic by the ruling Pakistan People’s Party to counter allegations of soft-pedalling the Kashmir issue ahead of the general elections there, the newspaper wrote.
Mirwaiz said: “We want to avail this opportunity to put the views of Kashmiris before Pakistani leadership. We’re not against India-Pakistan dialogue but the core issue of Kashmir has to be addressed first. We want to tell them that they should insist on inclusion of Kashmiri leadership in the dialogue process for permanent settlement of K-Issue.”
Despite the countries entering into trade ties ceasefire violations (continue to) happen on the line of control only because the resolution to Kashmir issue is pending, he said.
However, in September during the UN General Assembly session, the Mirwaiz had met Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar who is believed to have made it clear that the dispute could not be resolved quickly and until then, other facets of the peace process like trade and commerce had to move on.
