Hurriyat calls strike coinciding with PM's visit

Calling for a two-day general strike coinciding with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Jammu and Kashmir, the Hurriyat Conference on Wednesday said the separatist conglomerate would extend full cooperation if a meaningful dialogue was initiated to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Neither slogans demanding peace nor music programmes would solve the Kashmir issue, a Hurriyat spokesman said in Srinagar.

The strike, on April 18 and 19, has been called to highlight the demand for resolution of the Kashmir issue, the spokesman said after the amalgam's executive committee meeting at the Hurriyat headquarters in Srinagar.

The meeting, chaired by chairman Abdul Gani Bhat and attended by six other executive members, agreed that the resolution of the Kashmir issue was imperative for peace and prosperity in South Asia in general, and for friendship between India and Pakistan in particular, he said.

The

spokesman said a dialogue process, based on principles in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people, between the three principle parties would be a step in the right direction.

Pro-Pakistan militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen has, meanwhile, clarified that its bandh call has been re-scheduled for April 18, to coincide with the prime minister's rally in Srinagar, instead of a day earlier.

The Jamiatul Mujahideen has also issued a bandh call.

The Democratic Liberation Party, headed by Hashim Qureshi, said Vajpayee's visit would serve no purpose if it does not attempt to seek a resolution to Kashmir issue through a meaningful dialogue.

"Economic packages and concessions will not help in resolving Kashmir issue. The need of the hour is to initiate a serious dialogue," a party spokesman said.