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| Pakistan interested in keeping channels of dialogue | | | Srinagar,February 24
By once again inviting hard-line separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to their country, Pakistan is trying to convey to India that it is in favour of keeping its dialogue channels open with both the hardliners and the moderates, in the Kashmiri separatist camp, in order to strengthen its claim of being a party to the dispute, a local news agency reported here today.
During his recent visit to India Pakistan Foreign Minister,Mr Khurshid M Kasuri,handedover a letter from Prime Minister,Mr Shaukat Aziz,to Syed Ali Shah Geelani. He on behalf of Prime Minister invited him to Islamabad despite the fact that Geelani has been in the forefront of those who have been accusing Pakistan Government, especially President,Gen. Parvez Musharraf,of taking a U-turn on Kashmir.
A week ago an impression had gone round suggesting that Islamabad had almost snapped its ties with Mr Geelani when the headquarters run by his supporters in Pakistan was locked on the orders of the Government. Also.President,Gen. Musharraf,had,two months ago, declared that Islamabad will not hold talks with those who support violence. He said so when message reached him that hardliners were behind the grenade attack on the residence of APHC chairman,Molvi Umar Farooq,and they had given a call for general strike in Kashmir in protest against the visit of a three-member APHC team to Pakistan.
In fact Mr Geelani has felt felt jittery since the time APHC leaders visited Pakistan and occupied Kashmir over 15 months ago which had prompted Gen. Musharraf to grant recognition to the APHC as being a representative body of people of Kashmir.And Mr Geelani did not conceal his anger when he told Mr Kasuri,during his meeting with himn in Delhi yesterday,that in case Islamabad did not change its police it should leave “Kashmiris alone.”
Political observers here were of the opinion that unless Islamabad was in favour of keep the dialogue channels open with the hardliners it would not have invited Mr Geelani to a meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister in Delhi nor would have it extended an invitation to him for visiting Pakistan.
These observers said that the establishment in Pakistan does not want to keep its eggs in one basket.And the same yardstick had been applied while giving patronage to militant groups.
When militancy took roots in the Kashmir valley in 1989 the number of militant groups increased to over 100 and later on their number dwindled to not more than a dozen. Patronage to all these groups from agencies across the border was a calculated step because Islamabad did not want to bank on one or a couple of groups which could cross the sides,at one stage or the other.
Though APHC leaders feel happy over the way Mr Geelani came out of the meeting with Mr Kasuri in a huff they were a bit perturbed over the invitation extended to him by Pakistan Prime Minister.By doing so Islamabad had placed the ball in the court of Government of India which has to decide whether a passport would be issued to Geelani or not.Mr Geelani has applied for renewal of his passport two months ago as he was scheduled to attend a conference in Islamabad where he was invited by Jamait-e-Islami.The passport was not issued to him.
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