Two members of Shabir Shah’s JKDFP, Saleem Geelani and Maulana Abdullah Tari, met Pant at his residence Thursday evening. Centre's negotiator K C Pant appreciated the approach of Shabir Shah in seeking clarifications when Shah’s letter was handed over to him. Shabir Shah wanted Pant to clarify whether the Centre did not consider Kashmir as more than a law and order issue which had to be resolved, whether bilateralism had not failed in the last five decades in Kashmir, whether Pakistan's role had to be specified in the talks. He also wanted to know about the role of pro-Indian factions in the talks and whether the Centre intended to hold talks with Kashmiri militant groups.
However, Pant flayed the Hurriyat Conference leadership's response to Centre's invitation. “This is not the way to handle such a vexed issue,” he said. The Hurriyat had expressed serious reservations on the Centre's offer for talks by insisting on Pakistan's involvement in parleys and visit of its delegation to Islamabad for talks with government and militant outfits there.

“It is a very good step that Shah decided to send his two members to me with a letter seeking clarification on some issues which will be duly replied,” Pant told reporters after a brief 10-minute meeting with the two representatives of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP). Bureau Report