Omar for probe into Hurriyat funds

NEW DELHI, AUG. 16. The Government should thoroughly probe the overseas funding of the Hurriyat Conference and other separatist outfits in Jammu and Kashmir and block it immediately, Mr. Omar Abdullah, the Minister of State for External Affairs, said here today.

``Only when the Hurriyat Conference's funding is stopped once for all, they will come to the negotiating table and make attempts to restore peace in the State,'' Mr. Abdullah told foreign correspondents at a meet here.

He said it was such funding that kept them going. ``Once it comes to zero, their minds will start thinking in a constructive way,'' he said.

He clarified that the National Conference was not adamant on restoring the pre-1953 status to Jammu and Kashmir, but only sought a thorough discussion on the issue.

Stating that he was replying to questions on autonomy only in his capacity as the National Conference leader and not as the Minister of State of External Affairs, Mr. Abdullah said, ``the pre-1953 status is only a point of bargain for us''.

About the statement of the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, from the ramparts of Red Fort yesterday assuring free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Abdullah said ``the Prime Minister's speech was aimed at addressing the issues raised by some leaders, including the Hurriyat leaders, who want to contest in the elections''.

PM's Pak. visit

The dates for the Prime Minister's visit to Pakistan were yet to be finalised, but the possibility of his meeting the Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly cannot be ruled out, Mr. Abdullah said.

``The only certainty I know is that the Prime Minister has accepted the invitation to visit Islamabad,'' he added.

On the question of confidence building measures (CBMs) to improve relations with Pakistan, the Minister said India would continue to pursue the measures unilaterally, even if these were not responded positively by Islamabad.

He warned that Pakistan's use of ``jehad'' to legitimise terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir will pose a grave threat to peace not only in this region, but to the world at large. Rejecting Pakistan's contention that the armed struggle in the State was indigenous, Mr. Abdullah said, ``Musharraf does not have guts to call a spade a spade. He acknowledges terrorism here, but not in Islamabad.''

- PTI

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