news details |
|
|
| Fidayeen gunshots mute Pak move | | |
ABID SHAH
NEW DELHI, JAN 7: Over two-year-long pause in Fidayeen attacks that was shattered by 22-hour-long gun battle in Srinagar has somehow put breaks on Pakistan’s move to harp on Kashmir issue.
This has upset Pakistan’s Delhi diplomatic mission’s plans to unfurl the Hurriyat agenda during a Commonwealth Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of member countries’ legislatures that has been going on in the Capital with a delegation from Islamabad taking part in the deliberations.
The Hurriyat invitees of the Pakistan High Commission to meet their National Assembly Speaker Fahmida Mirza and Senate Deputy Chairman Farooq Naik were politely told by the mission that the last night’s dinner with the visiting dignitaries stood cancelled though individual discussions could well be carried on.
And, thus, they did take place until late Wednesday night. This is what Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Front leader Pandit Bhushan Bazaz who is also close to All-Party Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told Early Times here on Thursday. “Mirwaiz Saheb came very late around midnight after several meetings. Today he is going to be busy again” said Bazaz.
He, however, did not specify anything else about the Hurriyat and Pakistani officials parleying in Delhi, except saying that the Mirwaiz himself would speak about this when he finds time from his engagements.
On being asked about his recent statement given in Jammu to ask Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to accept Pakistan’s offer regarding resumption of talks, Bazaz said that the two countries should seize the opportunity and talk to each other to find some way to ease tense situation in Kashmir.
Bazaz did not like to go into the latest round of showdown between militants and security forces at Srinagar except saying that this was quite unfortunate and the two countries should talk each other on all issues.
Despite such polite excuses the fact remains that incidents like that happened at Srinagar since yesterday and also the Wednesday’s suicide attack on Pakistan’s security personnel in Rawalkot on the other side of the LOC have strangely coincided with Pakistan’s latest move to show bonhomie with Hurriyat leaders during the Commonwealth Conference now taking place in New Delhi.
Though these incidents have led all sides into a predictable hush with the only exception of People’s Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti who has her own conjectures to make on this, the fact is that indoor confabulations vis-à-vis Kashmir have intensified as indicated by the busy schedule and brisk running around by Hurriyat visitors in Delhi.
This is, indeed, in keeping with India’s formulation of quiet diplomacy and Pakistan’s backchannel talks where disclosures or media statements could be made only when, as once put by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, broad contours regarding the position on issues of the parties involved became clear. So none of the Hurriyat leaders have been saying anything about as to what has been cooking behind the closed doors whether during their talks with the Indian or Pakistani side.
Yet another possible reason for the cancellation of last night’s dinner could well be due to Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s insistence to have separate talks at Pakistan’s mission since he leads a more staunch group of Hurriyat separatists than the group led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
