Musharraf formula on Hurriyat agenda for Pak visit

New Delhi, Jan 17: A day ahead of its Pakistan visit, the moderate Hurriyat Conference today said President Pervez Musharraf's four-point formula on the resolution of the Kashmir issue will be the main agenda of talks with the leadership in that country.

''We will meet the President and other Pakistani leaders to discuss the pros and cons of this new formula and how it is going to help in seeking an amicable solution to Kashmir,'' Moderate Hurriyat conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is leading a three-member delegation to Pakistan, said.

Hurriyat sources told sources that the delegation will also ''emphatically'' take up issue of attack on the residence of Mirwaiz in Srinagar on January 15.

''This is a very serious issue.... The delegation will take it up emphatically with the Pakistani leadership,'' the sources added.

The Mirwaiz is leading a three-member Hurriyat delegation, comprising Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat and Bilal Ghani Lone, to Pakistan for about a week.

The delegation is flying to Islamabad tomorrow and besides the President will call on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and others leaders.

The separatists are also scheduled to meet leaders from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).

The Mirwaiz said the Hurriyat will also present its ''ideas and ''inputs'' during its discussions.

''Yes, we do have ideas and inputs which, too, would be discussed threadbare during the stay in Pakistan,'' he added.

''In the changing scenario, we will talk and see how best we can work together to seek a peaceful solution in the interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,'' he said.

Asserting that the prime concern of the Hurriyat was to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the Mirwaiz said they must be involved in the dialogue process to make it a success.

''Lasting peace will only be restored once concerns of the people are addressed. Our prime concern is to ensure that their wishes and aspirations are fulfilled,'' he added.

Prior to the Pakistan visit, the Hurriyat delegation met a cross-section of people in the Jammu region.

He said the existing ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) should be extended to Kashmir.

''The ongoing truce has created an atmosphere for initiating dialogue, therefore an internal ceasefire should be announced so that the commonman reaps its benefits,'' he said.

Reiterating that dialogue was the only way to solve all issues, the moderate Hurriyat chairman said the conglomerate does not believe in violence.

''There is no military solution to the Kashmir issue, it is a political matter and should be solved politically,'' he added.

After the attack on his residence, the Mirwaiz had said it was carried out by ''frustrated elements'' and asserted that the amalgam leaders would not be ''cowed down'' to abandon their ''mission'' of finding an amicable solution to the Kashmir issue.

The Mirwaiz said the Hurriyat Conference had never felt threatened by such attacks on its leaders and would continue to hold talks with India and Pakistan for resolving the Kashmir issue.

Meanwhile, normal life was badly hit as Kashmir observed a complete shutdown today on a strike call given by the breakaway Hurriyat Conference, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in protest against the visit of moderate amalgam leaders to Pakistan.

UNI