freekashmir
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In a sudden change in its plan on inviting Kashmiri separatists to Islamabad, Pakistan has withdrawn its invite to four separatist leaders for a visit to the country and restricted it to only the three top separatists leaders of the two Hurriyat factions Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani and JKLF chief Yaseen Malik.
The three leaders, incidentally, also attended the Pakistan Day function at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday. The function was also attended by senior Hurriyat leaders, excluding the estranged Abdul Gani Bhat and Bilal Gani Lone.
The withdrawal of the invite to the four followed resentment among moderate separatists against Islamabads picking and choosing leaders for travel to the country and overriding Mirwaizs prerogative to select his own team. Pakistan had directly invited senior moderate leaders Shabir Shah and Agha Syed Hassan. Earlier, Hurriyat staples for such visits Prof Abdul Gani Bhat and Bilal Gani Lone had been overlooked.
Jamaat-e-Islami protests against Pak snub
Srinagar, Mar 22: Smarting from not being invited to visit Pakistan along with other separatist leaders, Jamaat-e-Islami today said it strongly protests against Islamabad's decision to ignore the "largest socio-politico-religious" party of the state.
"Jamaat strongly protests the non-inclusion of this largest socio-politico-religious party of J&K in the list of invitees by the Pakistan Government and hopes that this grievance of Jamaat will be redressed soon by including it in the list of invitees," a spokesman of Jamaat-e-Islami, Advocate Zahid Ali, said in a statement here.
He said Jamaat-e-Islami was strongly in favour of the visit of Hurriyat Conference delegation to Pakistan on the invitation of Islamabad so that all the issues of mutual interest can be discussed face to face and a joint strategy adopted for early resolution of the long pending dispute of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the opportunity can also be used for removal of misunderstanding, if any.
Jamaat-e-Islami, considered to have pro-Pakistan leanings, was an important constituent of Hurriyat Conference before the vertical split in the separatist amalgam in 2003, leading to formation of moderate faction headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and hardline faction led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
The Jamaat initially remained neutral in fight between the warring factions saying it will make efforts to reunite the Hurriyat Conference. However, the party finally decided to withdraw from not only the Hurriyat but even from the political scene in 2005 saying the party would like to focus on social and educational aspects of its work.
Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has sent an invitation to seven Kashmiri separatist leaders including Geelani,a hardline leader; Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, a moderate; president Kashmir Bar Council Mian Abdul Qayyum, Shabir Shah, JKLF chief Yaseen Malik, firebrand woman separatist leader Aasiya Andrabi and Shia leader Aga Syed Hassan.
Geelani has again been referred to as 'chairman' of Hurriyat Conference.
It is unlikely that any of the separatist leaders, other than Mirwaiz, Aga Syed Hassan and Malik, will be able to visit Pakistan.
The Government has refused to provide travel documents to Mian Abdul Qayyum and Aasiya Andrabi while Shabir Ahmad Shah is in jail for allegedly fomenting trouble in the valley.
Prominent leaders like Abdul Gani Bhat, Bilal Lone and Fazal Haq Qureshi - who have been part of most of the visits to Pakistan and talks with New Delhi in the past -- have been ignored this time around.
Meanwhile, a significant development has taken place on the sidelines of United Nations' Convention on Human Rights at Geneva as Mirwaiz has met China's Director of Foreign Affairs Ying Gang.
A Hurriyat spokesman said this was for the first time in recent history that an official Chinese delegation has met separatist leadership from Kashmir.
The spokesman said the Chinese official reiterated Beijing's desire for resolution of Kashmir issue as per the wishes and aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Gang also said China was supportive of resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan.
In a sudden change in its plan on inviting Kashmiri separatists to Islamabad, Pakistan has withdrawn its invite to four separatist leaders for a visit to the country and restricted it to only the three top separatists leaders of the two Hurriyat factions Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani and JKLF chief Yaseen Malik.
The three leaders, incidentally, also attended the Pakistan Day function at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday. The function was also attended by senior Hurriyat leaders, excluding the estranged Abdul Gani Bhat and Bilal Gani Lone.
The withdrawal of the invite to the four followed resentment among moderate separatists against Islamabads picking and choosing leaders for travel to the country and overriding Mirwaizs prerogative to select his own team. Pakistan had directly invited senior moderate leaders Shabir Shah and Agha Syed Hassan. Earlier, Hurriyat staples for such visits Prof Abdul Gani Bhat and Bilal Gani Lone had been overlooked.
Jamaat-e-Islami protests against Pak snub
Srinagar, Mar 22: Smarting from not being invited to visit Pakistan along with other separatist leaders, Jamaat-e-Islami today said it strongly protests against Islamabad's decision to ignore the "largest socio-politico-religious" party of the state.
"Jamaat strongly protests the non-inclusion of this largest socio-politico-religious party of J&K in the list of invitees by the Pakistan Government and hopes that this grievance of Jamaat will be redressed soon by including it in the list of invitees," a spokesman of Jamaat-e-Islami, Advocate Zahid Ali, said in a statement here.
He said Jamaat-e-Islami was strongly in favour of the visit of Hurriyat Conference delegation to Pakistan on the invitation of Islamabad so that all the issues of mutual interest can be discussed face to face and a joint strategy adopted for early resolution of the long pending dispute of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the opportunity can also be used for removal of misunderstanding, if any.
Jamaat-e-Islami, considered to have pro-Pakistan leanings, was an important constituent of Hurriyat Conference before the vertical split in the separatist amalgam in 2003, leading to formation of moderate faction headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and hardline faction led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
The Jamaat initially remained neutral in fight between the warring factions saying it will make efforts to reunite the Hurriyat Conference. However, the party finally decided to withdraw from not only the Hurriyat but even from the political scene in 2005 saying the party would like to focus on social and educational aspects of its work.
Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has sent an invitation to seven Kashmiri separatist leaders including Geelani,a hardline leader; Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, a moderate; president Kashmir Bar Council Mian Abdul Qayyum, Shabir Shah, JKLF chief Yaseen Malik, firebrand woman separatist leader Aasiya Andrabi and Shia leader Aga Syed Hassan.
Geelani has again been referred to as 'chairman' of Hurriyat Conference.
It is unlikely that any of the separatist leaders, other than Mirwaiz, Aga Syed Hassan and Malik, will be able to visit Pakistan.
The Government has refused to provide travel documents to Mian Abdul Qayyum and Aasiya Andrabi while Shabir Ahmad Shah is in jail for allegedly fomenting trouble in the valley.
Prominent leaders like Abdul Gani Bhat, Bilal Lone and Fazal Haq Qureshi - who have been part of most of the visits to Pakistan and talks with New Delhi in the past -- have been ignored this time around.
Meanwhile, a significant development has taken place on the sidelines of United Nations' Convention on Human Rights at Geneva as Mirwaiz has met China's Director of Foreign Affairs Ying Gang.
A Hurriyat spokesman said this was for the first time in recent history that an official Chinese delegation has met separatist leadership from Kashmir.
The spokesman said the Chinese official reiterated Beijing's desire for resolution of Kashmir issue as per the wishes and aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Gang also said China was supportive of resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan.
