Srinagar, Sept 06: Hurriyat Conference leaders Abdul Gani Bhat, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Sajjad Lone were today put under house arrest ahead of their visit to Delhi to hold a second round of talks with the Kashmir Committee. Police has been deployed outside their residences. Abdul Gani Bhat told mediapersons that the security personnel are not allowing him to move out of his house since early morning.

On contacting the police, media was told that the DGP was not available for comment.

It is speculated that the government may not be in favour of Hurriyat’s tete-e-tete with Ram Jethmalani’s Kashmir Committee and hence refraining it from travelling to the Capital. The government is however not confirming the arrest of the separatist leaders. After the first round of talks with Hurriyat, Jethmalani admitted the committee had failed to persuade the coalition leaders to participate in the forthcoming J&K Assembly polls. However, Jethmalani had decided to drop discussion on the issue and hold further talks for a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue in the second round.

Bureau Report