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Home  » News » We are now in a position of strength: Mirwaiz

We are now in a position of strength: Mirwaiz

By Onkar Singh in New Delhi
Last updated on: September 05, 2005 12:22 IST
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The All Party Hurriyat Conference delegation, led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, would meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday and exchange notes with her on the Kashmir problem.

Why should the PM talk to the Hurriyat?

Sonia is currently touring Uttar Pradesh where hundreds of children have been affected by brain fever.

"We would meet her but no time has been fixed as yet," Mirwaiz told rediff.com in a conversation in New Delhi.

Why is India talking to Hurriyat now?

The 5 member of APHC delegation, comprising Umer Farooq, Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Bilal Gani Lone and Fazal-ul-haq-Qureshi would be holding talks with prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Monday evening.

"We have come here with an open mind. Kashmir is a political problem and has to be resolved politically. We want this process to continue and not like last time. We are now meeting the powers that be after a gap of 17 months. This should not happen and the process of dialogue should continue," he said.

PM-Hurriyat talks: Don't expect miracles

"Our agenda is how to move forward on Kashmir? How to resolve this problem that would give honourable solution acceptable to India, Pakistan and people of Kashmir? We would like to see reduction in troops in Kashmir. Improvement in the ground situation because the end result must reach the people of Kashmir. We would like the political prisoners, languishing in the Indian jails, to be set free. Above all, we would like to see that there is some amount of seriousness in the talks," he said, on asked about the delegation's agenda?

Only tripartite talks can solve Kashmir: Hurriyat

He refused to give credit to any individual for bringing about the talks at the highest level.

"It is immaterial who helped. I think everyone is helping and that is what matters. The difference between the talks in 2004 and now is that we have the people of Azad Kashmir (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) and the Pakistan people and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf behind us. We are now in a position of strength," he claimed.

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Onkar Singh in New Delhi