Expressing willingness to hold talks with the Centre ahead of their Pakistan visit, the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference Thursday said its delegation would leave for Islamabad before January 20 to discuss the formula suggested by President Pervez Musharraf for resolution of Kashmir issue.
"We are willing to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before going to Pakistan as dialogue is the only way to resolve Kashmir issue. But we have not received any official invitation for the meeting with him so far," Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq told reporters after a joint meeting of executive committee, general council and working committee in Srinagar.
Asked if Hurriyat has finalized the dates for visit to Pakistan, Mirwaiz said it would be done in a couple of days but we shall be leaving before January 20. "We will discuss the four-point formula of President Musharraf for resolution of Kashmir with the Pakistani leadership. We will explore the possibility how much this formula is practically implementable," he said.
Mirwaiz said Hurriyat was supportive of the Indo-Pak peace process but inclusion of Kashmiri representatives was imperative for finding a lasting solution to Kashmir issue. "We want to put our point of view before the leadership of India and Pakistan so that an amicable and lasting solution is found to the Kashmir issue," he said. During the visit, the Hurriyat delegation will meet the leadership of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to arrive at a consensus on Kashmir issue after discussions.
Expressing satisfaction over the dialogue process, the Mirwaiz said Hurriyat was hopeful that some progress would be made by two countries during the forthcoming visit of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Islamabad and subsequent visits of Singh and Musharraf.
However, he said there was need for institutionalising the ongoing dialogue process to make it more effective and result-oriented. "The peace process needs to be given a shape. The leaders of India, Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir should meet on regular basis to push forward the peace process, he said. Seeking involvement of relevant parties including militant leadership in the ongoing dialogue process, the Hurriyat chairman said the onus of improving ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir lies with New Delhi. Mirwaiz said there were certain issues which New Delhi needs to discuss with the Kashmiri leadership so that the common people of the state can feel some relief.
