India, Pak. must move beyond stated positions, says Lone

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, DEC. 12. The senior Hurriyat leader, Mr. Abdul Gani Lone, who returned from Pakistan yesterday, has once again suggested that the minimum that the Vajpayee Government could do to take the ``ceasefire'' initiative forward was to restore the passports of the Hurriyat leaders, and let them travel freely to Pakistan where they could explain their perceptions about the Kashmir conflict.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Lone said it was about time the governments in New Delhi and Islamabad liberated themselves from their respective bureaucracies, because the need of the hour was to move beyond the stated and frozen positions.

Talking of his experience in Pakistan, Mr. Lone said he had conducted himself in a very ``balanced'' way. He recalled how he spoke some harsh truths, which were not appreciated by his Pakistani interlocutors.

The Hurriyat leader repeated his formulation, made in Pakistan, about foreign militants: ``I have been the first and the foremost to welcome the help of foreign jehadis. But I say to them that you came to help us, you cannot set the agenda for us. You cannot be reacting to Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee's ceasefire initiative; leave that to us. Whether or not to have a political dialogue is our business.''

Recalling his meeting with General Pervez Musharraf, Mr. Lone said it was the Pakistani ruler who invited him for a talk and claimed to have found the General ``liberal, communicative and transparent''. According to the Hurriyat leader, it was a double gesture, for a military man, to invite him for dialogue, despite his (Mr. Lone's) known views, not always appreciated by the Pakistani establishment. And, Mr. Lone was convinced that General Musharraf was sincere about turning the subcontinent away from the legacy of conflict and dispute.

About the divergent views among the Hurriyat leaders, Mr. Lone spelled out the basic proposition: ``The Hurriyat is a conglomeration of parties. Each party has its views. Syed Geelani may have a view, but that is not the Hurriyat's view; I may have a view, but that does not become the Hurriyat's position. The Hurriyat's view is what is stated collectively and unitedly by the seven-member executive committee.'' Nonetheless, Mr. Lone said it was up to the Indian Government of India to take the next initiative. There had to be a starting point; there had to be ``contact'' among the various parties. ``There can be a dialogue between the Hurriyat and the Pakistan; or between Hurriyat and India; or, between India and Pakistan.''

Mr. Lone, however, was prepared to give the benefit of the doubt to the Prime Minister, and said the onus was on those in Srinagar who felt the ``ceasefire is a trap'' to call Mr. Vajpayee's bluff. The Hurriyat leader would return to Srinagar tomorrow.

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