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Centre invites Hizbul Mujahideen for talks

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The central government decided on Friday night to extend a formal invitation to the Kashmiri extremist organisation, Hizbul Mujahideen, to come overground and initiate a dialogue with Union Home Secretary Kamal Pandey to find a solution to the Jammu & Kashmir problem.

According to an official spokesman, this was decided at a late-evening meeting of senior Cabinet ministers, presided over by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani was also present at the meeting.

The meeting was held in response to Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah's demand on Thursday that the Centre step forward and respond positively to the Hizbul Mujahideen's gesture of unilaterally ceasing fire for three months.

Although Pakistan has ostensibly welcomed the Hizbul Mujahideen initiate to find a solution to the Kashmir dispute, nine other pro-Pakistani terrorist outfits have termed it a betrayal.

The All-Parties Hurriyat Conference has, however, said that it is ready for a dialogue with the Centre.

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