Hurriyat Conference willingness to participate in peace talks welcomed

Srinagar, Sep 26 (ANI): Union Ministers and Former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad welcomed the decision of the moderate faction of the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) to seek revival of peace talks with the Centre.

Speaking to the media on the side lines of the Golf Cup here on Saturday Union New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah welcomed the decision of the moderate faction of the APHC.

"It's a very good thing. I am very happy that Hurriyat want peaces talks. And we are hopeful that they will initiate more steps towards peace," Abdullah said.

"Now we will also help them, Centre and State Government would hold talks with them. And by this way only normalcy will also improve and Kashmir keeps on developing," he added.

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that militancy in the insurgency-hit region is taking its last breath but public efforts are required for maintaining peace.

"If we want to attract tourists both foreign and domestic, we have to create conducive environment here. And that peaceful atmosphere can only be created when militancy ends here. And I am happy that militancy is taking its last breath here but further common man needs to work for developing conducive environment," said Azad.

Earlier, the moderate faction of the APHC led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed its desire to initiate a dialogue with the Central Government to find an amicable solution to the Kashmir problem.

Addressing a rally on the Eid day in Srinagar, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed his desire to initiate a dialogue simultaneously with both India and Pakistan.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is currently in New York to attend the ministerial meeting of the organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) contact group on Kashmir, and also the annual Co-ordination meeting of the OIC Foreign Ministers, which are being held on the sidelines of the 64th UN General Assembly in New York. (ANI)