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| Geelani started track II diplomacy’ | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 31: Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani was the first to initiate bilateral dialogue and that too at track II level with Ram Jethmalani and Wajahat Habibullah. This was stated by former Hurriyat chairman, Moulvi Abbas Ansari in an telephonic interview with a local News agency last week.
The interview was ignored by the local newspapers for unknown reasons. Anasari was in New Delhi when the agency contacted him for an interview. Ansari said: “The un-divided Hurriyat Conference authorized Syed Ali Geelani to hold talks with Wajahat Habibullaha and Ram Jethmalani. Geelani, therefore, became the first person to open channels of track II diplomacy. He also became the first person to recognize such exercises”, he said.
Ansari’s interview came exactly five days after the Pakistan High Commissioner’s dinner at Pakistan embassy at New Delhi on March 23 (Pakistan day). A massive delegation comprising separatists, lawyers, journalists and civil society workers were invited. Surprisingly, the Pakistan High Commissioner did not invite Professor Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Lone and Abbas Ansari. The angry executive members told the press that they would not attend the dinner in protest. However, Abbas Ansari played safe, `ditched’ his colleagues and rushed to New Delhi to seek High Commissioner’s blessings.
Some leaders in the Mirwaiz Hurriyat are not happy over Geelani’s recognition as chairman of his faction of the separatist conglomerate by Islamabad. It may be recalled that Pakistan foreign secretary extended an invitation to Geelani in his capacity as chairman of Hurriyat G in February when he was in New Delhi to hold talks with his Indian counterpart. The High Commissioner’s indifference only added insult to injury.
People close to Geelani have rejected Ansari’s `allegations’. Syed Ali Geelani is currently in New Delhi and could not be contacted. However, people privy to the decision have confirmed Ansari’s statement. Wajahat has been playing an important role viz-a-viz Kashmir for quite some time now and Jethmalani was the chairman Kashmir Committee when Geelani talked to him.
Leaders in Mirwaiz Hurriyat say if people perceived bilateral talks were perceived as a means to solve the problem in past why should they oppose the exercise now? |
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