Will the All Parties Hurriyat Conference delegation, scheduled to leave for Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir on Thursday, visit Pakistan too?
There was no clear answer to this question till late night on Wednesday.
Sources in the Jammu and Kashmir administration told rediff.com on Wednesday evening that the five-member Hurriyat delegation will be handed over their travel permits and passports shortly.
"We have been told that the travel documents would be delivered to us by this evening. We are visiting Pakistan in response to an invitation received from there," senior Hurriyat leader Moulvi Abbas Ansari told this correspondent.
Also see: Hurriyat leaders must be allowed to visit Pak -- Kasuri
While the travel permits will be valid for travel only up to PoK, the passports would make travel into Pakistan possible for the Hurriyat team.
In New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Navtej Sarna, however, said the Hurriyat leaders cannot travel beyond PoK. "The position of the government is that it is willing to consider request for travel by any Indian national to Muzaffarabad and other parts across the Line of Control by the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus," Sarna said.
"If some Hurriyat leaders have been invited to travel to Islamabad, as reported, outside the provision of the above understanding, the onus for this lies with the Pakistani authorities," he added.
Also see: Hurriyat leaders can't go beyond PoK -- India
The Hurriyat delegation, to be led by its chief Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, would comprise Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, Maulvi Abbas Ansari, Bilal Gani Lone and Fazal Haq Qureshi.
All five Hurriyat leaders have said they would be use their own transport to reach Kaman bridge on the Line of Control and would not board the 'Karwan-e-Aman' bus which normally carries passengers for the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad travel.
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