The leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) have discussed their forthcoming Pakistan visit with Kashmiri Pandits, intellectuals and politicians in Jammu. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, APHC chief, and his team begin their Pakistan visit this week after a supposed convergence of views on a possible solution in Kashmir. In the midst of multiple peace proposals, the separatist leaders are not lagging behind in showing the utmost enthusiasm to solve the vexed issue. What are the possibilities of success for the Hurriyat-Pakistan talks or the Hurriyat-New Delhi talks; given the dismal past of Hurriyat's refusal to participate in the two Round Table Conferences held by the Indian PM in February and May 2006? Will it mark a new phase in the peace process? Moreover, are they the true representatives of the Kashmiri people?

In June 2005, the Mirwaiz Hurriyat traveled to Pakistan and POK by the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus, to facilitate interaction between the two Kashmirs. However, lack of unity among the separatists like Mirwaiz and Yasin Malik, during the visit led to no major developments apart from raising hopes that the Mirwaiz Hurriyat would accept invitation for talks with the Indian Government. Back in the Valley, Syed Geelani's reservations on the visit added another dimension of confusion to the separatists' voice on Kashmir.

The forthcoming visit is different from the previous one and also similar in some ways. This time, the Mirwaiz Hurriyat had planned to go via Jammu and Delhi incorporating differing perspectives on the issue. However, the Indian PM has postponed meeting with the Mirwaiz Hurriyat due to his tight schedule. According to Mirwaiz Farooq, there are two dimensions of the Kashmir problem. The first dimension is internal, (between New Delhi and Srinagar), where the central government and the Mirwaiz Hurriyat formed committees to analyze various aspects of the Kashmir and proposals made by both sides. The second dimension is external that includes India, Hurriyat and Pakistan. The current visit is based on the second dimension that is influenced by and will influence the first dimension too.

However, before visiting Pakistan a convergence of views is difficult when the Hurriyat has different proposals for both countries and which remain unknown to the Kashmiris. Successful dialogues have to be injected with an element of transparency where the ideas and agendas are made public. The lack of this is evident from the Hurriyat's refusal to attend round table conferences organized by India to discuss the issues in Kashmir. The Mirwaiz Hurriyat agrees with Musharraf's proposal especially for demilitarization, but India has anxieties about the same in a state where innumerable civilians are killed in grenade attacks daily and infiltration persists. The Indian Army claims that militant infrastructure across the LOC in POK is intact and militants continue to get support from the other side as evident from the recent infiltration bids in the Uri sector of Baramulla district. Hence, can the Mirwaiz Hurriyat talk with Pakistan on the issue of demilitarization, so fundamental to the state's security and which India has strongly opposed?

Secondly, 'blame-game' politics continues to satisfy appetites of leaders like Syed Geelani. For him, the 'self-rule' proposal of the Muftis' in the People's Democratic Party (PDP), is an 'Indian agenda' or a 'Delhi-made formula,' aimed at deflecting attention from the ground situation. His complete rejection of internal autonomy, self-governance, joint control, status quo, soft borders and promotion of trade and tourism, makes negotiations and concessions rare. For Geelani, the only roadmap to the permanent settlement of the Kashmir problem is "a referendum in accordance with the UN resolutions." Geelani met Syed Salahuddin, leader of Hizbul Mujahideen, during his tour to Pakistan and PoK in December 2006. During his meeting, Salahuddin claimed that, "if Hizbul feels that India is sincere in resolving the Kashmir issue the guns will fall silent... we will not be a hindrance." However, even with India's utmost sincerity it would not accept the Hizbul demand for complete freedom and nothing less.

Given this complex scenario, can the forthcoming Mirwaiz Hurriyat's talks with Pakistan, give a major push forward to peace in Kashmir? The Januray 2007 meeting of the two foreign secretaries resulted in no major agreement on Kashmir and although the special envoys of the two states are discussing the 'core issue' of Kashmir their talk remains discreet. During the week preceding the visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary to Pakistan, contradictory statements were made regarding the visit itself and the agendas to be taken up. With an out-right rejection of 'joint management' on Kashmir by the UPA government, the lack of clarity on Musharraf's four-point formula, and limited interaction between the Hurriyat and political parties in the state, a convergence of views on Kashmir is a stupendous task.

Therefore, at present a suitable path for the Mirwaiz Hurriyat would be to encourage free movement, travel and trade across the LOC that have been major demands of the people of both sides. Making borders irrelevant by allowing trade and travel between different parts of Kashmir with restoration of other links within the sub-continent could create a positive atmosphere for settlement in the near future. Only if the Mirwaiz Hurriyat comes back with some innovative ideas for CBMs between India-Kashmir-Pakistan, can we see the advantages of parallel dialogues.