Farooq pulls a fast one, tells Hurriyat: I’ll step out if that makes you step in

During the two-hour long meeting followed by dinner, Farooq briefed Vajpayee and Advani on developments in the state and discussed ways to ensure free and fair elections. His visit to the Capital was ahead of Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh’s three-day visit to J&K tomorrow to review poll arrangements and the security scenario. Lyngdoh will be accompanied by his team of Election Commissioners T S Krishnamurthy and B B Tandon, and deputy election commissioner Sayan Chatterjee.

Barely days ago, Farooq had slammed Jethmalani’s committee as ‘‘useless and a drama’’ but today he praised its efforts to ‘‘to mobilise greater participation in the ensuing Assembly elections of the people including Hurriyat Conference.’’

Earlier, after a 90-minute meeting with the committee in Srinagar, Abdullah said his government ‘‘was willing to discuss with the Hurriyat, conditions that have to be met for their participation in the elections.’’ Meanwhile, as Jethmalani’s plans to get the Hurriyat to participate in next month’s polls began to unravel after the separatists stuck to their stand, he widened the ambit of his agenda: from elections to peace, the ‘‘future of Kashmir and the continuity of the process.’’

Both sides met today and decided to hold the next round of talks in New Delhi with the Hurriyat reiterating that talks involving Pakistan were the only way out. However, it agreed to consider the Prime Minister’s offer for talks.

Although the separatists had made up their mind to disappoint Jethmalani and his team on the issue of participation in polls, no one—from Shabir Shah to the Hurriyat—wants to be seen as a spoiler in the peace process.

Bhat also stressed on the need to involve Pakistan in any peace move to make it workable ‘‘on the ground.’’ In fact, there is a feeling in the Hurriyat camp that the Kashmir Committee might be helpful to rejuvinate the 4:3 talks proposal—where three Hurriyat executives will talk to Pakistan while the other four with the Centre.