Third roundtable on Kashmir sans separatists

New Delhi, Apr 22: The third roundtable on Kashmir, convened to discuss the recommendations of the Working Groups constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will be held here on Tuesday, again without the participation of any prominent separatist group.

Besides political leaders from the Congress, National Conference, PDP, Panthers Party, the CPI (M) and the BJP and intellectuals, the roundtable will be attended by members of various organisations representing region-specific communities, including Kashmiri Pandits and individuals.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and several of his ministerial colleagues will also participate in the conclave, to be held at the Prime Minister's 7 Race Course Residence.

Like the previous two occasion-- in February and May-- last year all prominent separatists-- both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front led by Yasin Malik, Democratic Freedom Party of Shabir Shah and others-- have refused to attend.

However, the ex-hijacker and Democratic Liberation Party (DLP) chairman Hashim Qureshi, who had boycotted the second conclave, would participate in the third roundtable, convened by the Prime Minister.

The conference will discuss the recommendations of four of the five Working Groups, constituted at the end of the second conclave in Srinagar on May 24-25 last year.

The Working groups were set to give recommendations on good governance, strengthening of Centre-state relations, improving ties across the Line of Control, Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) to improve condition of people affected by militancy and economic development of the state.

The group on strengthening Centre-state relations is yet to submit its suggestions.

After announcing the third roundtable on April 13, Mr Azad had said the four working groups had forwarded their recommendations which necessitated convening of conference.

''The recommendations need to be discussed and deliberated upon... the roundtable conferences and the five working groups will go a long way in settling the issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir,'' he added.

The Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat Conference, which has held two rounds of talks with the Prime Minister on the vexed issue, declined the Centre's invitation and instead asked India to hold a similar conclave of leaders from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC). ''We reject the third roundtable conference. If India is serious in resolving the Kashmir issue, it should call a roundtable conference of leaders from both the sides of the LoC. We will definitely participate in that,'' said the Mirwaiz.

Mirwaiz Farooq said the roundtable conference of mainstream political parties has no agenda and was going to discuss the administrative matters such as funds for the widows and orphans.

To discuss those matters, there were political parties such as the National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress, but not the Hurriyat Conference, he added.

Similarly, JKLF chief Yasin Malik, who has also a one-on-one with the Prime Minister, rejected the invite, demanding India and Pakistan involve people of the trouble-torn state in the ongoing peace process.

''We rejected earlier conferences and have rejected it now also,'' he said.

Political parties have expressed the hope that the conclave will help in resolving the contentious issue.

PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said the conference could offer the best platform for initiating practical steps toward the Resolution of the issue as the recommendations of the four working groups, could lay the foundations for the ultimate solution.

CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said the move was significant measure toward the quest for peace in the troubled state.

UNI

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