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| Hurriyat’s bilateral talks mode: are grapes too sour? | | |
MUNISH GUPTA
Jammu, Nov 29: For the APHC leadership it is a tale of grapes are sour. The leadership was initially in favour of the resumption of the centre-Hurriyat dialogue. That is the reason that it was excited when the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh announced that he was willing to reopen channels of dialogue with the separatists. Now the APHC leadership has moved from bilateralism to trilaterlism because of certain compulsions.
The APHC leadership had no other alternative but to support triangular talks when the voices within the conglomerate opposed bilateral dialogue. And when Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who heads the hardliners, announced his opposition to the bilateral dialogue the APHC leadership had to start rethinking on the issue. It had to do it when Geelani announced his plan for either restructuring his organization or for floating a new forum which would be based on Jamait-e-Islami cadre. The APHC leaders had fears that if immediate restructuring was not carried out some of the dissidents may be wooed by the Geelani faction of the Hurriyat Conference.
For the time being the APHC leadership's plan to make some progress through bilateral dialogue has been watered down by these events. Its restructuring plan has been receiving full support from its constituents. Senior APHC leader, Shabir Ahmed Shah, told this correspondent today "I support the restructuring plan because before we demand triangular talks for the settlement of the Kashmir issue we have to set our house in order."
Shah said "we have to strengthen the district units of the APHC." He claimed credit for having established district units of the APHC in 2007 and added that he wanted these units to be strengthened so that "whatever decision we take will have the backing of the people." In reply to a question Shah said "I want the constituent units to dissolve their units so that all members are members of the APHC and not of any other organization." However, inside reports said that a number of senior APHC leaders were opposed to Shah's demand and they do not want to dissolve their units. They want to maintain to separate identity even while being members of the APHC.
One senior APHC leader, who wished to remain unidentified, said "we want all to move step by step" .He added "we favoured resumption of bilateral dialogue so that we could set the stage for the resumption of India-Pakistan composite dialogue which could be followed by the triangular talks." However, Shah said "bilateral talks in past, whether between Delhi and Islamabad or between APHC and the centre had proved futile and the only way to see the Kashmir issue settled was to hold triangular dialogue.
Indications are that the executive committee of the APHC may be enlarged so that at least four to six members of the general council were included in it. This would silence the dissidents who have started criticizing the Hurriyat leadership on one pretext or the other.
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