Lone leaves for Delhi to meet PM

A five-member delegation of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference led by party chairman Sajad Gani Lone on Thursday left for the Union Capital to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday. Party vice chairman Sheikh Bashir Ali told PTI in Srinagar.

The prime minister has invited Lone, son of slain Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone, in his effort to broaden the dialgoue process to find a solution to the Kashmir issue.

Other members of the delegation are Peer Hafizullah Makhdoomi, Abdul Rashid Lone, Rashid Mehmood and Mirwaiz south Kashmir Qazi Yasir, Ali said.

The working committee meeting of the party, convened immediately after the Prime Minister's invitation on Saturday last, had authorised Ali to nominate the members of the delegation.

Lone, after accepting the invitation from the Prime Minister, said his party termed the move of the centre as "positive" and would emphasise identifying other parties and individuals necessary for inclusive participation.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already held one round of talks with the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and back door talks were on to persuade more separatist leaders from the state to take part in the dialogue process.