The Hindu : No need for facilitator, says Ghani Bhat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 05, 2003

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No need for facilitator, says Ghani Bhat

By Luv Puri

Jammu Jan. 4. In an obvious rebuff to the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Government, the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman, Abdul Ghani Bhat, today said the conglomerate did not need any facilitator for initiating talks with the Centre.

Prof. Bhat took strong exception to the People Democratic Party's stand on being a facilitator in the talks between the separatists and the Centre. Talking to The Hindu, he said, " We do not need any facilitator, much less a surrogate of the Indian Government. A surrogate is a surrogate and never a master. Why should the conglomerate need any facilitator to talk to anyone? We can talk on our own and not through anyone as we stand on our own strength."

He said the Hurriyat represented the sentiments of the people of Kashmir which stood for a durable and final solution to the Kashmir imbroglio. Asked how could he claim that the Hurriyat was the representative of the people of the State, Prof. Bhat said, " We do not need to convince anybody of our representative character as we represent the red-hot blood of the people of Kashmir in a land where many have sacrificed their lives for a cause. It is the people's faith in us that gives us strength and confidence to talk on their behalf for finding an amicable solution to the problem."

Prof. Bhat said India, Pakistan and the Hurriyat should come to the table and discuss proposals for a final solution.

In the 23-party conglomerate, Prof. Bhat represents the Muslim Conference which is now headed by the former President of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Sardar Abdul Qayoom Khan, who also has the distinction of being the chairman of the Kashmir Committee appointed by the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf.

Asked about his colleague's reported statement in an Urdu daily of Pakistan that conversion of the Line of Control into an International border could be discussed, Prof. Bhat said he did not want to comment on media statements.

About Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's assertion that talks could be held with the Centre without involving Pakistan in the first stage, he said "no single person could talk on behalf of the Hurriyat.

"We had formed Hurriyat to take appropriate decision from time-to-time in the interests of the people of Kashmir with collective wisdom.

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