Moderates’ Third Front gathers steam in J-K

The Third Front of Kashmiri separatists finally seems to be taking shape. At least a dozen senior leaders and representatives of parties out...

The Third Front of Kashmiri separatists finally seems to be taking shape. At least a dozen senior leaders and representatives of parties outside the Hurriyat conglomerate met here today to clear glitches on the path to a parallel political forum of separatists.

This was the first formal meeting of the much-talked-about forum, named the J-K Resistance Friends. Although the PMO has been long eyeing this prospective moderate separatist forum to take part in the Assembly polls, its leadership, avoided talk on this and focussed on ‘‘exploring ways and means to initiate a dialogue’’. ‘‘Some like-minded leaders…, outside the Hurriyat, had been in constant contact to smoothen the way for creation of a new group,’’ said leader of Mahaz-e-Azadi Mohammad Azam Inqilabi.

Team in UK for Ayub Thakurs extradition
New Delhi: The Centre has sent a team of officials to the UK for talks with their British counterparts over possible extradition of separatist leader Ayub Thakur to India, sources said. “A team comprising officials from J&K police and other security agencies had been despatched to Britain to either seek Thakur’s deportation or extradition,” the sources said. They, however, refused to talk about composition of the team and what evidence would be handed over to British secret agency. PTI

The new forum includes separatist leaders like Shabir Shah of Democratic Freedom Front, A.R. Naiku of People’s League, Khaliq Haneef, expelled Jamiat Islami leader and Noor-ud-din Bazaz of the Islamic Salvation Front besides some breakaway factions of the People’s League. Some six top leaders of different separatist groups, outside the Hurriyat, met at a local hotel and deliberated on ways and means to go ahead with their ideas. Inqilabi said the forum would also try to rope in expelled Hizbul leader Abdul Majid Dar.

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‘‘It will be a deliberations’ group which will have Kashmiri intellectuals with visionary approach and debating capacity. Kashmiris need to get out of the status quo because the Government is very serious on addressing the J-K issue,’’ he said. Asked if pro-poll leader Hasham Qureshi will be part of the forum, Inqilabi said ‘‘they definetly will have a role although we won’t take them in initially’’.

Regarding speculation that the forum might contest polls, he said: ‘‘We will not. Our priority is to initiate some sort of a dialogue.’’

Yogi Adityanath, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, police lathicharge, police lathicharge students, Indian express news, current affairs

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