Talks are on at various levels among major political parties in Jammu and Kashmir over forming an alliance to give a tough fight to Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah's National Conference in the coming Assembly Elections in the state. State CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and former union minister Saifuddin Soz have held several rounds of talks for forging a broad-based alliance to take on Abdullah. ''We have held talks on the alliance and different groups have been invited to join the front against Abdullah,'' Tarigami told reporters.
Feelers have also been sent to democratic freedom party chief Shabir Shah and few moderate leaders in the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), sources said.
Positive signals in this regard are emanating from the APHC, which has been lying low for some time now. Senior Hurriyat leader Maulvi Abbas Ansari had reportedly expressed the 23-party amalgam's readiness to contest elections.
''We are ready for any such process that is aimed at choosing the representative nature for the people so that a dialogue is initiated.''
However, Ansari, tipped to be the next Hurriyat chairman when present incumbent Prof Abdul Gani Bhat's term expires, said the elections should be ''free and fair'' and monitored by impartial observers.
Bureau Report