New Delhi:
Separatists from the Kashmir valley are divided on the dialogue process between India and Pakistan. Speaking to reporters after meeting the visiting Pakistan Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Gilani in Delhi today, the moderates termed it as necessary for building 'mutual trust' while hardliners dubbed it as a 'futile exercise'.
Emerging from a two-hour meeting with Mr Jilani, Chairman of moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said, "We support the dialogue process as building mutual trust was important.
"However, one important aspect of involvement of Kashmiris in the talks on Kashmir issue was still missing, and it should be addressed at the earliest", Mr Farooq said.
Mr Jilani, who arrived in Delhi today for talks with his Indian counterpart Ranjan Mathai on Wednesday, held a series of meetings with the separatists from Kashmir who included hardline and moderate factions of Hurriyat Conference.
Mr Farooq told the Pakistan Foreign Secretary that while implementation of confidence-building measures in the valley was an important step, a finalisation to the issue could be achieved only after the involvement of people of Kashmir to find a lasting solution to the issue.
The Pakistan Foreign Secretary, according to Mr Farooq, expressed complete support to the Kashmir issue and extended an invitation to them to visit Islamabad in September or October this year.
The first meeting was with hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who asked Pakistan to increase its diplomatic efforts in highlighting the Kashmir issue.
According to Ayaz Akbar, spokesman of hardline faction of Hurriyat, Mr Geelani conveyed to Jilani that talks with India would not yield any results.
While Mr Geelani said these talks should be stopped immediately until India agrees to treat Kashmir as a disputed area, Mr Farooq favoured a consistency in exchanges between the two countries so that a congenial atmosphere for solving the Kashmir issue is created.
Pakistan's new High Commissioner-designate Salman Bashir was also present at the meetings. Later, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Yaseen Malik also held a meeting with the Pakistan Foreign Secretary. Ranjan Mathai will hold talks with Mr Jilani on July 4 and 5 to discuss peace and security, including Confidence Building Measures and Kashmir.