Mirwaiz may meet Musharraf, Singh

Published August 29, 2005

NEW DELHI, Aug 28: Jammu and Kashmir’s spiritual leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Sunday he expected to meet Indian and Pakistani leaders next month at the head of an All Parties Hurriyat Conference delegation.

The Mirwaiz has already met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s key adviser on Kashmir Affairs Wajahat Habibullah in Srinagar recently and discussed the agenda and the likely dates for the awaited meeting.

Dr Singh is expected to meet President Gen Pervez Musharraf in New York between Sept 13 and 15 on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

The Indian leader is thus quite likely to meet the Hurriyat delegation as also the other Kashmiri resistance leaders before the India-Pakistan summit talks.

Meanwhile, the Mirwaiz expects to represent the Kashmir resistance at a meeting with the Kashmir contact group of foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in New York.

Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri is a member of the group that is likely to hold its meeting in New York between Sept 19 and 23.

In his proposed talks with Dr Singh, the Mirwaiz said he would stress on many issues that could contribute to improving the climate for a fair resolution of the Kashmir issue. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference wants India to allow observers like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to visit the Valley.

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