The Hindu : National : Hurriyat hails India-Pakistan talks

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Hurriyat hails India-Pakistan talks

Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR: The moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference on Wednesday welcomed the ongoing talks between the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan, but demanded inclusion of Kashmiris in the process. It has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gillani to hold discussions in Srinagar.

Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told a gathering here that the conglomerate was not averse to good relations between India and Pakistan as it was important to find an amicable solution to problems. Besides Kashmir, they had other issues such as Sir Creek and Siachen but “ours is the core issue and cannot be neglected.”

“We are happy that both countries have resumed the dialogue and it will create a conducive atmosphere. But we want that representatives of people of Jammu and Kashmir should have a seat on the table as there are three basic parties to the dispute,” he said at the commemoration of the death anniversary of his father Moulvi Farooq and senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone, who were killed on this day in 1990 and 2002.

The Mirwaiz said a Hurriyat team would visit Pakistan next month.

He rejected elections as a solution to Kashmir problem.

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