A window of opportunity: Pant

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 3. The Centre's designated negotiator, Mr. K. C. Pant opened ``the window of opportunity'' to receive a communication from the emissaries of Mr. Shabir Shah, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party. Mr. Saleem Geelani and Mr. Abdullah Tari met Mr. Pant at his residence and handed over a letter from Mr. Shah.

The emissaries propose to release the communication to the press tomorrow. However, it is believed that Mr. Shah has sought a number of ``clarifications'' from Mr. Pant. He had already publicly stated the points on which he and his party would want clarifications before they could sit down across the negotiation table. These include whether the ``dialogue'' was aimed at ``resolving the dispute'' or merely ``restoring peace''; whether Pakistan was to be brought in at a later stage, if not now; whether Mr. Pant intends to talk to other groups such as the National Conference, the Congress, the BJP, etc.; and, whether the designated negotiator would be opening a dialogue with the militant groups as well.

Even though the tenor of Mr. Shah's reservations about the Pant mission was known, symbolically it was a movement forward that the emissaries handed over a communication to the designated negotiator. Mr. Pant allowed himself to comment that ``this was the proper way'' to go about and that Mr. Shah's communication would be ``duly replied''. However, Mr. Pant was careful to use the phrase ``restoration of peace'' while speaking to mediapersons.

By contrast, he was critical of the public response of the Hurriyat leadership and noted that ``negotiations cannot be conducted through newspapers''. He was responding to the Hurriyat chairman, Prof. Abdul Gani Bhatt's public statement that the separatist conglomerate would not be sending any letter or communication to Mr. Pant's invitation.

``It is a serious matter. There has to be an increased level of understanding and one has to build a platform of trust,'' said Mr. Pant in his first reaction to the Hurriyat formulations. He noted that the effort had to be to raise the ``level of understanding'' among various groups and individuals, even if they held conflicting views. But, remarked rather disappointingly, that the Hurriyat's stance was ``no way to handle a waxed issue''.

Mr. Pant also revealed that he would visit Srinagar at some time, though not in the immediate future. A number of political groups in Jammu and Kashmir had demanded that Mr. Pant should visit the state rather than conduct a dialogue from New Delhi.

'APHC will not be cowed down'

PTI reports from Srinagar:

The Hurriyat Conference has said it will not be influenced by threats by certain groups saying it will hold talks with the Centre if it was for resolution of the Kashmir issue.

``Threats would not deter the APHC from taking a decision according to the wishes of Kashmiris,'' the APHC executive member, Mr. Abdul Ghani Lone, said at a seminar here on Wednesday.

Warning against attempts to bully the leaders into toeing any particular line of action, he said, ``decisions made under duress are not in the interest of anybody''.

The chairman, Mr. Abdul Ghani Bhat, who presided over the seminar, referred to the recent grenade attack on the APHC headquarters and said such incidents would not intimidate Hurriyat.

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