Ex-Hizb chief hails talks

Former commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen and chief commander operations of the Majid Dar group Zaffar Abdul Fateh today welcomed the peace ...

Former commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen and chief commander operations of the Majid Dar group Zaffar Abdul Fateh today welcomed the peace talks between DPM L.K. Advani and the Hurriyat leaders.

‘‘Being a former militant, I know what peace means to us. All problems can be resolved through meaningful dialogue. Our group was the first to announce unilateral ceasefire as we were in favour of resolution of the Kashmir issue through negotiations,’’ said Fateh, adding Hurriyat leaders had taken the right decision by agreeing to talks with Deputy PM Advani.

‘‘I will try to iron out differences between the Hurriyat leaders and the separatist groups opposing the talks. I know several leaders and will try to persuade them to support Hurriyat’s fresh peace initiative,’’ he said.

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The former Hizb commander said that peace has become a top priority now as leaders of both India and Pakistan are also advocating a peace process. Even hardline groups of both the countries have softened their stand on Kashmir.

‘‘Fazul-ur-Rehman, a prominent hardline leader of Pakistan visited India and met the leaders of

several Indian groups including Shiv Sena. He too is in favour of peace now,” says the former Hizbul commander.

“The meeting between Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf on the sidelines of the SAARC summit depicts the changing political world. Being a Kashmiri, I also yearn for peace.”

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In 2000, Zaffar Abdul Fateh along with Abdul Majid Dar had announced unilateral ceasefire. The group had also held parleys with the Centre’s interlocutors.

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