SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI, 11 August — The general council of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference will meet here tomorrow to formulate a response to the offer of a dialogue with the government.
Former Law Minister Ram Jethmalani, who heads the unofficial Kashmir committee that aims to bring the Hurriyat to the negotiating table, made the offer. At the same time, the Hurriyat has ruled out its participation in the assembly elections “even if the state was brought under governor’s rule”.
Certain vital issues were discussed,” Hurriyat Chairman Abdul Gani Bhat told reporters after a meeting of the Hurriyat. “We discussed the dialogue offer by the Kashmir committee. It was decided Hurriyat general council meet would be held on Aug. 12 to discuss the offer.”
“We do not know if this committee has a government connection. That is what we shall deliberate on during the general council meet.”
“Whether or not there is governor’s rule, we have decided not to take part in the assembly elections. We have nothing to do with these elections, which we consider to be a farce,” Bhat said. He said that talks would not yield results unless Kashmiris were involved in the parleys.
“We have not withdrawn from our committed position on Kashmir. The dispute can be resolved only if India, Pakistan and Kashmiris join heads and discuss sincerely. Without that, there is going to be no solution,” Bhat said.
He also revealed that the sevenmember Hurriyat executive had unanimously decided to extend his term by one year.
Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani on Friday authorized Jethmalani to invite the separatist leaders for talks on “relevant issues”.
Jethmalani is the head of a recently formed Kashmir committee comprising several leading intellectuals, including the editor of The Times of India newspaper.
Meanwhile, a police inspector and two militants were killed in separate incidents in Kashmir, police said yesterday. A Jammu and Kashmir police official said the inspector was killed in a gunbattle with militants north of Jammu. “The incident took place at noon and the fighting is still going on,” the official said.
He said two suspected militants belonging to the Hizbul Mujahedeen group were killed in separate overnight gunbattles in Poonch and Doda districts.
Violence in Kashmir has increased since the government announced less than two weeks ago it would hold state elections there in September and October.
In another incident, a paramilitary soldier frustrated at being denied home leave shot his commanding officer yesterday, wounding him and killing two other soldiers in the state, police said.
The Border Security Force soldier, A.M. Sangma, was drunk when he opened fire on his officer, Tulsi Das, at the railway station in Jammu, a police spokesman said.
Das, an assistant commandant, was wounded, and two soldiers at the station were killed as Sangma continued shooting, the spokesman said.
He was later overpowered by his colleagues and put under arrest. The spokesman said the officer had recently rejected Sangma’s request for home leave.
