Hurriyat picks 5-man team for Pak

Besides Geelani, other members of the delegation consists Abdul Gani Lone, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Sheikh Abdul Aziz and Maulavi Umar Farooq.

Out of the five-member delegation, only Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone have valid passports. Geelani and Abdul Aziz do not have passports while Abbas Ansari’s passport has been impounded by the government.

The Pakistan Government and militant groups based there have been suggesting that all seven Hurriyat executive council members travel to Islamabad for talks.

"We all go by this decision. Our agenda is too clear to need any repetition. We hope the government of India would see to it that the peace process to resolve the Kashmir dispute is not put to jeopardy," a statement issued after the five-hour meeting said.

Senior Hurriyat leader and chairman of the Awami Action Committee Mirwaiz Umer Farooq told reporters after the meeting "we understand that travel documents would be released in favour of those who have been selected."

Asked why Hurriyat chairman Bhat and JKLF leader Yaseen Malik were dropped from the delegation, Mirwaiz said the composition of the delegation demonstrated that "there are no differences within Hurriyat Conference".

Sheikh Abdul Aziz, chairman of the Peoples League against whom several court cases are pending, said "it is upto them (the Centre) to decide about the passports to him."

Asked what if the Centre did not his release travel documents, he said the Indian Government "will attract international condemnation."

He, however, said the proposed visit of the delegation would not be postponed in the event of his travel documents not being released.

Asked whether passports would be issued to all the delegation members, Mohammad Ashraf Sahrai, who represented Geelani as Jamaat-e-Islami representative in the executive meeting, said, "Prof Bhat has been assured that travel documents would be released in favour of all the members."

Sahrai disagreed with a questioner who wanted to know whether the Centre has succeeded in dividing Hurriyat Conference.