Hurriyat accuses India of sabotaging talks with Pak

SRINAGAR: The Hurriyat Conference on Thursday accused New Delhi of trying to sabotage the ongoing talks with Pakistan and said demilitarization was the "first and foremost" step towards resolving Kashmir issue.

"Although Pakistan is taking every possible step for peaceful resolution of Kashmir, India is maintaining its obduracy and doing everything to make the talks process a failure," member of Moderate faction of Hurriyat Nayeem Ahmad Khan alleged while addressing party workers at Pattan in Baramulla.

Khan, who is one of the three-member delegation announced by moderate faction of Hurriyat conference to attend a two-day conference on Kashmir in Pakistan beginning March 16, said the key to peace in the subcontinent lies with India.

"We urge India to take advantage of Pakistan's proposals and President Pervez Musharraf's flexibility and take sincere and concrete steps to resolve the Kashmir issue," he said.

Describing the proposed demilitarization as the first and foremost step towards resolving Kashmir issue, Khan said if India really wanted peace process to yield positive results, it should take immediate steps for demilitarisation in Kashmir.

He expressed serious concern over the deteriorating health of the Chairman of Hardline Hurriyat Syed Ali Shah Geelani and plight of detainees in jails and interrogation centres in and outside state.