Upset with growing Indo-Pak bonhomie, Hurriyat leaders rush to Pak embassy

A delegation of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference met Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit in the national capital to pitch for the inclusion of the contentious Kashmir issue whenever talks between the countries take place.

New Delhi: Apparently upset with the growing bonhomie between India and Pakistan, a delegation of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) met Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit in the national capital to pitch for the inclusion of the contentious Kashmir issue whenever talks between the countries take place.

According to reports, the Hurriyat leaders - Peer Saifullah and Altaf Ahmad Shah - discussed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's recent visit to Pakistan and her subsequent meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The two Hurriyat leaders also discussed the 'Kashmir policy' with the Pakistan envoy.

During their discussion, the Hurriyat delegation also handed over a message of their chairman Syed Ali Geelani to Basit, wherein he has stated that Pakistan should continue to maintain consistency and firmness over its Kashmir policy.

In his message to Basit, the Hurriyat chairman had stressed that Pakistan should play an active role in highlighting human rights violations committed by the Indian armed forces in Jammu & Kashmir in international forums.

The delegation is also believed to have apprised the Pakistan High Commissioner about the present situation in Kashmir.

Hurriyat leaders' meeting with Basit comes nearly a week after Swaraj visited Pakistan and set the stage for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country next year.

During Swaraj's visit to Pakistan, it was announced that the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet next month to discuss the details of the comprehensive bilateral dialogue.

The two nations also issued a joint statement, which said, ''the discussions will involve peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen, Economic and Commercial Cooperation, Counter-Terrorism, Humanitarian Issues, People to People exchanges and religious tourism.''