Hurriyat skips Pakistan conference on Kashmir

National Conference President Omar Abdullah on Thursday termed as "unfortunate" the non-participation of Hurriyat Conference in the maiden Kashmiri leadership conference held in Pakistan.

'It is unfortunate that the All Parties Hurriyat Conference has decided not to attend the conference. So it will not be completely representative of all sections of opinion,' Omar said in his blog.

The conference, organised by the Kashmir Institute of International Relations in Islamabad from Thursday, aims to build consensus among the Kashmiri leaders from across the Line of Control for a just and durable solution to the Kashmir imbroglio and evolve a solution acceptable to all.

The KIIR is headed by speaker of the assembly of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Shah Ghulam Qadir.

'Am in Islamabad for the conference on Kashmir. This one is limited to participation of people from both sides of the divided state (Jammu and Kashmir) unlike the conferences organised by Pugwash,' Omar said, adding that the conference has no participation of people from outside the state.

'More on the conference after I get back from here in a few days. I will post once I am back from Pakistan at the end of the week,' Omar wrote.

Besides Omar, the organisers have invited Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti and Jammu and Kashmir secretary of Communist Party India-Marxist M Y Tarigami to the conference.

"The conference will work towards a process of inclusion of the Kashmiri leadership in the dialogue process aiming at a permanent resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the aspirations of all concerned," a spokesman of the National Conference had said.

The spokesperson said the NC president will put forward his party's viewpoint during the conference to facilitate people-to-people contact between the two sides of Jammu and Kashmir.