The Hurryiat Confefernce, a conglomerate of 23 separatist outfits, today formally welcomed the Ramzan ceasefire announced by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and offered talks with the Centre at a stormy meeting of its executive committee. The meeting was preceded by violent factional feud when rival groups clashed leaving 12 injured. The trouble started when supporters of pro-Pakistan outfits Muslim Conference, Muslim League, Islamic Students League and Peoples League raised slogans to shout down pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) supporters outside the Hurriyat headequarters where the meeting was on.

Police, deployed outside the Hurriyat headquarters at Rajbagh locality of Srinagar, charged with batons to separate the clashing groups. We had to act to save the lives of the people and to prevent the clash from spreading, police said.
As leaders of the seven- member Hurriyat executive came out of the meeting one by one, supporters of their respective parties raised slogans while escorting their leaders outside the headquarters. When JKLF chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik came out, his supporters raised pro-freeedom slogans. Angered by this, supporters of pro-Pakistan constituents of Hurriyat raised counter slogans demanding Kashmir be included in Pakistan.
Jamaat-e-islami leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, considered a hardliner, made a vain bid to pacify the clashing groups and he was persuaded by his supporters to leave the place. Bureau Report