Pak 145;bars146; Hurriyat team from Lashkar event

The Hurriyat team was 8220;barred from the reception only to avoid annoying Western quarters and Delhi8221;, an unnamed man at the reception was quoted as saying by the media here.

Those who attended the reception waited for over two hours before Saeed told them that the Hurriyat team would not be participating in it, The News daily reported.

Saeed said the Jamaat 8220;did not want to cause problems for the guests Hurriyat leaders or for the cause of Kashmir.8221; He hinted that domestic political problems in Pakistan had diverted attention from the Kashmir issue and vowed that the 8220;jehad would continue8221;.

The Hurriyat leaders are currently visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for consultations with the top political leadership ahead of Qureshi8217;s visit to India beginning tomorrow.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who met the Hurriyat team, has said that President Pervez Musharraf8217;s Kashmir policy harmed the issue.