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Centre, Hurriyat agree to find `durable solution' to Kashmir issue

By Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI, JAN. 22. Leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, met here today and agreed to find an "honourable and durable solution" to the Kashmir problem through dialogue, hoping that all forms of violence at all levels would end.

The much-awaited Centre-Hurriyat meeting, the first at this level, also agreed to adopt a "step-by-step approach that would lead to the resolution of all outstanding issues relating to Jammu and Kashmir."

The Hurriyat leaders will pay a courtesy call on the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, tomorrow.

After the two-and-a-half-hour marathon-session between Mr. Advani and the Hurriyat delegation, led by its chairman, Maulana Abbas Ansari, and comprising Abdul Ghani Bhat, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Bilal Ghani Lone and Fazal-ul-Haq Qureshi, the two sides expressed satisfaction that a "good beginning" had been made. The next round will be held in March.

According to privileged sources, the mood among the Hurriyat leaders was "more than positive" and they "soft-pedalled" their reported desire to visit Pakistan to talk to militant organisations there. Sources said they realised that the first meeting was not the occasion to raise matters of "passport and visas."

A joint statement was read out by Mr. Ghani Bhat before a crowd of jostling camera teams and reporters outside North Block. It stated that the discussions were "amicable, free, frank and fruitful.'' The Hurriyat leaders were escorted out by the security personnel.

Addressing a crowded press conference later, Mr. Advani said the Hurriyat leaders expressed a desire to meet Mr. Vajpayee. "I have spoken to the Prime Minister in Pune and apprised him of our meeting. He has agreed to meet the Hurriyat leaders tomorrow."

Mr. Advani said the meeting was a "good beginning" and a dialogue process had been initiated on Jammu and Kashmir insofar as elements not part of the political process were concerned.

He sought to fit in today's meeting with the bigger picture emerging since the free and fair Assembly polls held in the State in 2002, the process that was consolidated by the Prime Minister's April 2003 offer of "hand of friendship" to Pakistan and which ultimately culminated in the recent joint statement between India and Pakistan in Islamabad.

"A climate has been created. All these contributed to the new atmosphere, an atmosphere in which there is determination all round to see violence comes to an end and the State moves forward insofar as development is concerned," Mr. Advani said.

Mr. Advani said he told the Hurriyat delegation that though he would be busy with election tours, he would meet them in the latter part of March in keeping with the "good beginning" made today.

To a query, he said the Hurriyat leaders raised the issue of detenus languishing in jails and it was agreed to put systems in place for a "rapid review" of cases of prisoners not involved in heinous crimes.

Clarifying on the need to enlarge the dialogue process, Mr. Advani said he told the delegation about the plight of Kashmiri Pandits living in pathetic conditions in camps outside the Valley for more than a decade.

The joint statement said the delegation was committed to enlarging the dialogue process to cover all regions of Jammu and Kashmir and addressing the concerns of all communities.

Mr. Advani was assisted in the talks by the Centre's interlocutor on Jammu and Kashmir, N.N. Vohra, and the Union Home Secretary, N. Gopalaswami.

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