The Government has sent signals to separatist organisations in J-K that it is willing to conduct secret parleys with them after Centre’s interlocutor N.N. Vohra did not make any headway with them.Vohra returned yesterday after a 10-day stint in Srinagar. With the Hurriyat Conference refusing to meet Vohra, his interaction there was limited to elected representatives, the Opposition and other parties, and some prominent members of the public. ‘Raising J-K issue in UNSC not in tune with friendship’ NEW DELHI: India on Thursday made it clear to Pakistan that any attempt on its part to rake up J-K at the UN Security Council this month will be incompatible with the recent positive turn of events in bilateral ties. The word doing the rounds, particularly in sections of the Pakistani media, is that Islamabad may take advantage of its turn as president of the UN Security Council this month and get a proposal on J-K tabled. ‘‘Our PM has made gestures of friendship. Now, it is for Pakistan to decide whether raising the J-K issue in the UN Security Council is compatible with extending the hand of friendship,’’ a MEA spokesperson said. (ENS) ‘‘However, the Government has realised that unless the separatists come forward to participate in the talks, the Vohra mission is going to be futile. So feelers have been sent to various organisations, including the Hurriyat, that they can come and talk, and the meetings can be held secretly,’’ disclosed highly placed sources.Though the Government is yet to get any response from any of the organisations, it is hopeful that they will come forward sooner or later. ‘‘They are under immense pressure from both the terrorist organisations and Pakistan. So they cannot be seen talking to the Government openly. They will lose whatever little credibility they have. But with the people of Kashmir increasingly moving away from militancy, the separatists will have to participate in the talks,’’ said a Government official, explaining the piquant situation that these organisations find themselves in.According to sources, the developing situation between India and Pakistan would also have a bearing on militancy in the state. The terrorist organisations, as also the separatists, were so far getting mixed signals from across the border. ‘‘They are likely to finalise their strategy only after the picture becomes clearer,’’ the official said.Vohra is likely to meet Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani soon to brief him about his visit to Srinagar. ‘‘The thinking — that any mission to Kashmir is useless unless it involves the separatists — is fast gaining strength even in the Ministry of Home Affairs, which so far had steadfastly refused to speak to any of them. The fact that Advani came down from his stand and authorised Vohra to talk to anybody says a lot about changing government strategy too,’’ sources added.
