Bhat says Hurriyat ready for talks, wants a date

‘‘It is up to the Prime Minister to convey the dates for the talks,’’ Bhat said.

The moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, which held two rounds of talks with then deputy prime minister L.K. Advani last year, had insisted on visiting Pakistan and PoK before parleying with the UPA government.

Bhat dismissed reports about the visit being a failure. ‘‘It was a warm-up match… When we have not played the match, how can we be declared the runner-up,’’ he said.

He also ruled out the conglomerate’s participation in elections. ‘‘The Hurriyat doesn’t accept any election process to prove its representative character,’’ Bhat said. ‘‘The elections are irrelevant and they have no role in the resolution of the Kashmir issue.’’

In an oblique reference to hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Bhat said: ‘‘Some people still demand the inclusion of Kashmiris in the dialogue process. But we already stand included. We talked to Pakistan and we are talking with India.”