Date:22/02/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/02/22/stories/2006022201541500.htm

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Round table talks agendaless: Farooq

Shuja'at Bukhari

No groundwork done or agenda fixed for talks

Farooq Abdullah not to attend
Nothing has really moved forward

Autonomy of the State would be within the Constitution

Farooq Abdullah

SRINAGAR: Visibly upset over the "timing" and "handling" of the February 25 round table conference on Kashmir, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said he was disappointed and felt sad with regard to the "agenda-less conference" convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"It is unfortunate and I feel sad the way it is being handled. The round table conference would have been a very good move provided there was some ground work done," Dr. Abdullah said at a news conference here. "What is the ground work done before such a conference, what is the agenda and so far no papers have been distributed," he said.

Expressing inability to attend the conference due to "personal engagements," he said that the National Conference president Omar Abdullah would be attending.

To a question he said, "I am not going in my individual capacity, and let me tell you that Omar Abdullah is the party president." He parried questions on New Delhi's sincerity towards the Kashmir issue but said, "I cannot jump to the question of sincerity."

Autonomy to be considered

Referring to his and Omar Abdullah's meeting with Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, he said that the latter had told them that the proposal of autonomy will be considered. Mr Patil, he said, even asked them to suggest names for a high level committee.

But nothing has moved forward even after our president reminded him repeatedly, he said. Dr. Abdullah said that autonomy was within the Constitution and "we do not know anything about General Musharraf's proposal on demilitarisation and self rule."

Earlier Dr. Abdullah released a booklet of comparative study on the functioning of the Jammu and Kahmir Waqf Board and the Muslim Auqaf Trust (MAT). The MAT was taken over by the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led coalition government in 2003 from the National Conference.

The former chief minister accused Mr. Sayeed of doing everything to belittle NC's founder Sheikh Abdullah's legacy. "The MAT had been mishandled and mismanaged by the Mufti regime to the hilt and we have solid proof regarding this," he said.

He said he would soon handover the booklet, which is a white paper, to Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and urge him to intervene and save the institution.