Hurriyat patch-up on cards?

Senior separatist Fazal Haq Qureshi, nominated by Hizbul Mujahideen as its pointman to hold parleys with New Delhi following the truce calle...

Senior separatist Fazal Haq Qureshi, nominated by Hizbul Mujahideen as its pointman to hold parleys with New Delhi following the truce called by the outfit in July 2000, has been asked by Hurriyat leader Moulvi Abbas Ansari to strike a deal with the dissident faction headed by hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Qureshi, a member of the Hurriyat general council and who chose to remain equi-distant from both groups, is respected by the leadership that supports Geelani. Even Geelani acknowledges that Qureshi has tirelessly worked for the ‘‘cause of Kashmiris’ struggle’’ and perhaps for that reason alone, he may face no opposition from the militant leadership.

Though Ansari denied that Qureshi was ‘‘specially’’ assigned this task, conglomerate sources reveal that his services are indeed being sought to bring the ‘‘two deviating groups on one line’’.

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Qureshi was present at the executive council meeting called by Ansari on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by two former Hurriyat chairmen — Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat — People’s Conference representative Bilal Gani Lone and Ansari himself. Three executive constituents — the JKLF, People’s league and Jamaat-e-Islami — did not attend the meeting held at Rajbagh headquarters.

Sources said the four executives later met Qureshi and gave him the brief to ‘‘forge unity among all separatist leadership of all hues’’ — a fact confirmed by Ansari. ‘‘We are in the process of getting separatists from all ideologies under one umbrella. We will nominate a committee to talk to general council members, including those who support Geelani and outsiders like Shabir Ahmad Shah to further strengthen the amalgam,’’ Ansari said.

Though the Hurriyat executive issued showcause notices to eight general council members who showed support for Geelani, sources said Qureshi had expressed a desire to talk to the dissidents.

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SRINAGAR: Welcoming Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s call for a ceasefire on the LoC, Moulvi Abbas Ansari, leader of one of the faction of the Hurriyat Conference, has appealed to militants to declare a ceasefire in the Valley that can lead to conditions conducive for talks with Pakistan.

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LeT top gun killed in Doda
JAMMU: A top Lashkar-e-Toiba militant was killed as Army troops attacked a militant hideout in Doda district on Thursday. Troops zeroed in on the hideout in Bhella forest area in Doda and in a fierce gunbattle, self-styled battalion commander of LeT from Pakistan Abu Azhar was killed. The encounter was still on when last reports came in. (ENS & Agencies)