While the interlocutors on Kashmir had earlier said that they would wait for the separatists to approach them rather than making the first move,both the Mirwaiz and Geelani camps of the Hurriyat Conference claim they recently got a call from Radha Kumar seeking an appointment. Both say they turned her down. Kumar is one of the three interlocutors on Kashmir appointed by the Centre,the other two being Dileep Padgaonkar and M M Ansari. When contacted by the The Indian Express,Kumar denied having made any such call.The interlocutors just finished their third visit to the state,and Kumar is reported to have made the call to the Mirwaiz faction before the visit,and to the Geelani camp while she was here.The Syed Ali Shah Geelani camp said she never got past the reception. She said the interlocutors wanted to meet Geelani sahib at his residence and even sought an appointment at 6 pm, spokesman for Geelanis Hurriyat Ayaz Akber said. He said that the Hurriyat didnt want any engagement with the interlocutors as they didnt believe that the initiative was intended to resolve the larger issue of Kashmir. Confirming that they had received a call from Kumar,a senior leader of the moderate Hurriyat said: Kumar said that the interlocutors wanted to meet us. But we said that we didnt think that such an engagement would be helpful. Padgaonkar,who heads the three-member interlocutor group,denied that any call had gone to any separatist leader,but interestingly added,at least at my level. No,we have not approached them, he said.Padgaonkar also added that the interlocutors would be pleased to meet the separatists. But we cannot go without any interest on their side. First they should show some willingness to talk to us. Then we can meet anywhere. It can be their residence also, he said. At a press conference in October,the interlocutors had stated that they would not inflict themselves on the separatists and would wait for them to take a decision. What seems to have changed their mind is the urgent need for such a contact to salvage their initiative. The interlocutors so far have not managed to establish any contacts on the separatist side.
