Govt makes fresh overtures to Geelani for dialogue

The government has made fresh overtures to reach out to Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, and engage him in a dialogue.
After a government representative visited him Saturday, Geelani received a phone call on Sunday late evening asking him to meet Government of India (GoI) interlocutor, Dineshwar Sharma.
On Sunday Hurriyat Conference (G) said that a “state representative” came to the residence of Syed Ali Geelani Saturday night to “facilitate his meeting” with Dineshwar Sharma.
In a statement issued by the Hurriyat (G) it said that the state representative arrived during the intervening night of November 4 and 5 and “expressed his desire to meet Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Geelani to facilitate his meeting with designate interlocutor”.
Forced negotiations have no political or moral justifications,” the Hurriyat (G) statement asserted. “No section of Hurriyat (Conference) or group will meet designate interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma or participate in this futile exercise,” statement added.
Sharma arrived here on Monday for a four-day visit and he would be meeting a number of delegations.
However Sunday night Geelani again closed the door for dialogue. According to sources in Hurriyat (G), Geelani got a call from the state government through an emissary on Sunday and the caller told him that they wanted him to meet the visiting interlocutor. “Geelani listened and hung up the phone without saying anything,” a source said.
Sources said when they asked Geelani who the caller was, and he told them, “…Some Hindustani agent was calling…”
“Geelani neither said ‘yes nor no’ to the caller. He just dropped the phone,” he said.
However, within some 15 minutes a fleet of vehicles reached at the Hyderpora residence of Geelani. But within few minutes officials had to return because none opened the door at the residence, a senior Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) leader said.
“I was at home yesterday night. But I got a call from my colleague that a number of vehicles have arrived at Peer Sahab’s (Geelani) residence. I called the office to know what was happening. They (office) told some emissaries have visited Peer Sahab. But we have been instructed not to open the door,” said a senior Hurriyat leader.
Earlier on Sunday Dineshwar Sharma had said that he wouldn’t ask Hurriyat to meet stating it is the state government which is organizing the meetings.
“Why should I ask Hurriyat to meet? Let the state government arrange the things. Everything is being done by state government. I will just go and meet people whoever wants to,” Sharma had told Kashmir Post over phone from New Delhi on Sunday.

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