Indian-controlled Kashmir separatists to meet Pakistan foreign adviser in New Delhi

Prominent separatist leaders of restive Indian-controlled Kashmir will be meeting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's adviser on foreign relations Sartaj Aziz in New Delhi on Sunday. The separatists have been invited to the Indian capital by Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi for the proposed meeting. Spokesmen for the separatist groups in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, have confirmed the invitations being extended to their leaders. "We have received a telephone call from Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and our delegation led by Syed Ali Geelani has left for New Delhi to attend meeting with Sartaj Aziz," said Ayaz Akbar, the spokesman of hardline faction of Hurriyat (freedom) Conference. The head of moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq along with three other leaders of his group have reached New Delhi on Saturday in connection with the meeting. The chairman of pro-independent group Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Mohammed Yasin Malik too has left for New Delhi. Aziz will visit the Indian capital on Sunday to attend Asia- Europe Meeting (ASEM) foreign ministers meeting scheduled on Nov. 11-12. Reports said foreign ministers from Asia and Europe will participate in the meeting. The separatist leaders will be separately holding meetings with Aziz on Sunday evening. Since the Nawaz Sharif government took over in Pakistan, this would be the first meeting of Islamabad's new government with Kashmiri separatists. New Delhi has accused Islamabad of providing arms and training to Kashmiri militants. However, Islamabad says it only provides moral and political support to Kashmiris. Aziz is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid on Monday to discuss bilateral issues between Indian and Pakistan. According to India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin, the threads for the meeting between Khurshid and Aziz would be picked from the September meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart in New York. The meeting between prime ministers of two nuclear neighbors India and Pakistan was held at a time when the armies of both sides were targeting each other along the line-of-control (LoC) that divides Kashmir. The prime ministers agreed to reduce tension along the LoC in Kashmir as the first step towards comprehensive peace in the region. However, deadly skirmishes between two sides continued for another month and even extended to international border (IB) in Kashmir. New Delhi and Islamabad in 2003 agreed to observe cease-fire along the IB and LoC in Kashmir. Though some violations have been reported on both sides, the cease-fire remains in effect.