Pak. gears up to receive APHC leaders

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JAN. 8. The Pakistan Government is busy finalising its strategy to ensure that the coming visit of leaders of the All- Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) goes off smoothly.

The Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi, Mr. Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, was here to brief the Government on his discussions with APHC leaders in New Delhi last week.

Pakistan, which extended an invitation to the APHC executive to visit Islamabad for discussions with the Government and representatives of Pakistan-based militant organisations, is eagerly waiting to find out the composition of the team.

Mr. Qazi is believed to have met the Chief Executive, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdul Sattar, and the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Inamul Haq, during his stay in Islamabad and appraised them of his assessment of the situation.

Pakistan has appealed to India to issue travel documents to all seven members of the APHC executive. It is concerned over the possibility of a split in the APHC ranks over the composition of the delegation if India does not give passports to members of the executive committee.

The Pakistan Government has every reason to be worried about the outcome of the visit given the divisions within the Hurriyat ranks and the views of some Pakistan-based militant organisations. Pakistan would like to do every thing possible to send out a signal that there was a meeting point in the perception of the Hurriyat and the Government on the Kashmir conflict.

Having taken the stand that it considered the APHC as the true representative of Kashmiris, Pakistan would like to ensure that there are no voices questioning the credentials of Hurriyat leaders to discuss on behalf of the Kashmir people.

However, it is not an easy task. Organisations such as the Harkat-ul-Ansari have already questioned the locus standi of the APHC to speak on behalf of the Kashmiris. Some militant organisations are also demanding that they be made party to any future dialogue between India and Pakistan.

The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), led by Mr. Amanullah Khan, today went on record to reiterate its viewpoint that APHC could not be accepted as the only representative body of Kashmiris. Mr. Khan said demanded representation for people from all regions of the State, including Jammu, Ladakh, Pak-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltisar, and all political ideologies.

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Section  : International
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