The All Parties Conference organised by moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq failed to make any headway in his proposed formation of working groups as some political parties opposed the move while others favoured a wait-and-watch policy.
The meeting, held in Islamabad on Friday, was however, boycotted by the Jamat-i-Islami aligned with the hardline faction of the Hurriyat headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Peoples Party of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir headed by Sultan Mehmood was attended by all other parties, including the ruling Muslim Conference of the PoK.
The APC attended by 19 PoK-based political parties agreed to support the ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan but has no idea of Farooq's formation of working groups in both sides of Kashmir to hold joint sittings, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Amanullah Khan told PTI in Islamabad.
Farooq along with the ruling Muslim Conference has announced the formation of the working groups which he said were aimed at promoting intra-Kashmir dialogue and urged India and Pakistan governments to endorse facilitate the movements of the leaders to take part in the meetings.
Peoples Conference Leader, Bilal Ghani Lone, who accompanied Farooq along with Abdul Ghani Bhutt said the APC was of one its kind, and the working group proposal was discussed but not rejected.
Lone said the leaders would have to obtain permission from their respective parties to support the working groups. Some of the participants felt that the working groups were not workable as they would become bigger than the APHC itself.
He said India and Pakistan should facilitate interaction between Kashmiris living on both sides of LoC. Farooq, who left for India on Saturday, told media persons after the APC meeting that the meeting had developed a consensus on participation of Kashmiri leaders in the dialogue process between India and Pakistan.
He said the conference had demanded that the process of confidence building measures be paced up and a consultation process between Kashmiri leaders should continue.
"The Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service was an important CBM related to Kashmir. It is our desire that both countries should facilitate people-to-people contacts between Kashmiris," the Daily Times quoted Farooq as saying.
India and Pakistan should open five points on the LoC for movement of Kashmiri people, eliminate Kashmir-specific laws and release of prisoners detained in the Indian jails, he added.
