Hurriyat leader Bilal Lone has been quoted by WikiLeaks saying the assassination attempt reflected desperation by extremist groups following improvement in J&K.
The assassination attempt on moderate Hurriyat leader Maulana Fazal Haq Qureshi reflected desperation by extremist groups following improvement in situation in Jammu and Kashmir, senior Hurriyat leader Bilal Lone has been quoted by "WikiLeaks" as saying.
The cable, released recently, was classified "confidential" by former US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer and quoted Lone as having told an American Embassy official that he was not personally scared but admitted such incidents left a sense of insecurity among the moderates.
Lone, who was part of talks between the Hurriyat and the Centre, had expressed the desire to take the dialogue process to its logical conclusion but, at the same time, conceded the obstacles, saying the hardliners and Islamabad must be brought along.
"In Lone's view, the assault on Qureshi demonstrates how desperate the extremists have become as the security situation improves and the talks get traction," the cable said.
Haq was fired at by terrorists on December 4, 2009 near Soura locality in the summer capital. The incident was seen as a warning to moderate separatist leadership against engaging with the Centre for talks.
The cable also brought out a brief conversation that its Embassy official had with Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq who was "guarded" while talking over phone.
"He (the Mirwaiz) displayed a resigned demeanour, saying 'what does one do with these elements.' He drew parallels with previous assassinations, including that of his father and other separatists who were forward leaning on peaceful solutions," the cable said.
Another confidential cable on WikiLeaks spoke about threat from terror groups like Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed to moderate Hurriyat leaders. "However, we should not expect the Mirwaiz and his colleagues to reach any breakthrough deal with India until they feel secure against the LT/JM/HM (Lashker, Jaish and Hizbul Mujahideen) assassination threat," the cable said.
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