Resistance Camp in Wait-and-Watch mode on dialogue offer

Trio Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik yet to respond to Centre’s initiative

A day after New Delhi appointed an interlocutor to carry forward the dialogue process, all eyes are on the separatist trio, who are silent on the development.
Though a “positive exuberance” is visible within the separatist camps here following the announcement by the Centre about the initiation of a sustained dialogue, all indications are that the trio is going to play wait-and-watch before the “full contours” of the Centre’s dialogue offer are made public.
“We are for dialogue. First let us see what the terms of engagement are,” a senior Hurriyat leader said.
“So far, a formal invitation for talks has not been extended to the joint leadership (trio). If and when it comes, then it would be known what are the terms of the engagement,” the Hurriyat leader said, suggesting that before any formal response or reaction, the joint separatist leadership of Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik would like to discuss the offer.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh had yesterday made it clear that the Centre’s point man on Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma was free to engage with anyone he liked.
Sources within the separatist camp also indicated that before formally responding to the Centre’s offer of dialogue, the separatist trio would like New Delhi to “create a conducive atmosphere for the dialogue process” by initiating “confidence-building measures” like the release of all political prisoners and the separatist leaders arrested by the National Investigation Agency”.
“These confidence-buildings measures will demonstrate the sincerity of New Delhi about the dialogue process,” a separatist said.
Meanwhile, former Hurriyat Conference chairman and Shia leader Moulana Abbas Ansari today said “tripartite dialogue” was the only way forward to resolve the Kashmir issue.
“During President Pervez Musharraf’s time, I told both countries that the dialogue process can’t move forward unless all three parties sit together,” said Ansari.

May seek release of prisoners
Sources within the separatist camp indicated that before formally responding to the Centre’s offer of dialogue, the separatist trio would like New Delhi to “create a conducive atmosphere for the dialogue process” by initiating “confidence-building measures” like the release of all political prisoners and the separatist leaders arrested by the National Investigation Agency”.

Call for shutdown on Oct 27
While continuing to maintain silence over the talks offer, the separatist trio on Tuesday came up with a hard-hitting statement and asked people to observe a shutdown on October 27 — the day the Indian Army landed in Srinagar in 1947. The leaders said that their “fight will continue till the last Indian solider” in Kashmir vacates