The decision came after a two-hour deliberation of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). J&K chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed hailed the decision as a "happy and satisfying movement". He added that "people here are saying the talks should take place at the political level...this is a serious opportunity." N.N. Vohra, though, will continue to be the Centre’s main official interlocutor.
Ansari, who was in Delhi and will be holding a Hurriyat meeting to discuss the issue, welcomed the move saying it was a positive, if a bit belated, step. "It signals the seriousness of the government of India to resolve the Kashmir issue. I hope the Centre has realised the futility of appointing interlocutors like (K.C.) Pant and Vohra." But Ansari issued a warning note as well. "I hope the talks are not limited to offering Hurriyat something on a platter and then asking us to participate in the government," he said. Other Hurriyat leaders like Mirwaiz Umer Farooq too welcomed the move.
Predictable noises of dissent emerged from pro-Pakistani separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani who said there was nothing much Advani could offer by way of talks. "The exercise is aimed at nothing," he said, if old offers are made again. The decision has come nearly six weeks after Geelani led a split of hardliners in the 25-party Hurriyat and formed a parallel body. It remains to be seen whether Moulvi Ansari, regarded as a moderate, will be able to carry the entire team with him.
By Zafar Meraj
