Hurriyat & Co. get invitations to visit Pak

I was told that Pakistan would approach the negotiations on Kashmir afresh,guided by its traditional stand on the state, Geelani said. Kashmir,I was told,would be the core part of the talks with India,with every effort being made for a settlement according to the wishes of Kashmiris.

Incidentally,in the first such wide outreach by Pakistan,it also handed over to Geelani invitation letters for the president of the Kashmir High Court Bar Association,Mian Qayoom,and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi. However,no dates have been specified for the visit.

While Mirwaiz said he expected little from the talks,he felt Pakistan was in the process of reassessing their approach to Kashmir. We want a triangular dialogue where Kashmiris talk separately to New Delhi and Islamabad and arrive at a mutually acceptable solution, he said.

Todays talks were important on two counts: a) A signal that the long held-up visit of the Hurriyat to Pakistan,delayed following Hurriyat participation in quiet talks with the Centre,may be cleared; b) Pakistans keenness that hardliner Geelani too visits Islamabad,as does Yasin Malik,indicating that the new dispensation doesnt believe in playing favourites among Kashmiri separatists.