The Hindu : National : Hurriyat leaders should not go beyond PoK, says Mufti Sayeed

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Saturday, May 28, 2005

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National

Hurriyat leaders should not go beyond PoK, says Mufti Sayeed

Special Correspondent

"Hurriyat leaders must travel by the bus service like ordinary people "

NEW DELHI: : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Friday said All Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders should travel to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service like ordinary people and refrain from going beyond PoK.

Their travel beyond PoK would not be in the spirit of the India-Pakistan agreement under which the bus service was launched. "There should not be double standards while dealing with Hurriyat leaders," he told reporters here.

"Under the permit system, ordinary residents of Jammu and Kashmir can travel only to PoK. How can Hurriyat leaders be allowed to go beyond"? The bus service was meant for Kashmiri people on both sides of the Line of Control.

Visa required

"It is the Pakistan Government which will grant them [Hurriyat leaders] visa to travel ouside PoK, and not we."

However, he hoped it would not be an impediment to their travel plans. On the statement by the Hurriyat faction led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq that they wanted to persuade militant leaders to agree to a ceasefire, the Chief Minister expressed the hope that they would succeed in their attempt.

The Hurriyat's attitude had been positive and its leaders had continued with the dialogue process.

The Mufti, who met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday, said he made a request for increasing the frequency of the bus service, which has made five trips since the launch on April 7.

"Every passenger is being accounted for. People from PoK have seen Kashmir and many perceptions of the situation here have been dispelled. They want to extend their stay and meet all their relatives. I think it is the biggest change since 1947," he said dismissing reports that passengers from PoK had gone missing, causing a security alarm.

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