Geelani not attending Pak high commission's Iftar party

Srinagar, Sep 26 (UNI) Admitting his difference with Pakistan's Kashmir policy, breakaway Hurriyat Conference (HC) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani said he was not attending the Iftar party th be hosted by the Pakistan High Commissioner at New Delhi.

Almost all separatist leaders, including leaders of both the faction of the HC, besides other prominent citizens have received invitations from the High Commissioner for the Iftar.

'' I am not attending the party because of differences with the Pakistan government's Kashmir policy'', Mr Geelani told a news conference at Rajbagh headquarter here today.

This was the third year that Mr Geelani has declined the invitation from the Pak High commissioner. It was 2004 when he last attended the Iftar party of the commissioner.

He said of late the people of the Jammu and Kashmir have witnessed a change in the Pakistan government's policy on Kashmir.

We are getting conflicting signals from the Pakistan government on Kashmir issue, which has claimed the lives of lakhs of people since 1947,'' he said, adding sometime they say soft borders, but on the other occasions they stress on self-rule.

Mr Geelani said he has informed the High Commissioner about his decision not to attend the party.

'' I talked to High Commissioner on phone and informed him about the decision not to attend the party because of differences of change in the Kashmir policy, he said.

Mr Geelani and Shabir Ahmad Shah of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) are the only senior separatists leaders who have not visited Pakistan or Pakistan Occupied Kashmir when others, including Moulvi Omar Farooq, Mohammad Yaseen Malik, Moulana Abbas Ansari and Prof Abdul Gani Bhat travelled across the border through Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road.

UNI