After several hiccups, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and the Centre have decided to hold talks on the Kashmir issue.
The Hurriyat is a conglomerate of nearly two dozen separatist parties. It claims to be the sole representative of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Constituents of the Hurriyat are divided into two camps; one wants independence, the other to be a part of Pakistan. Some support militancy, others don't; though the latter are in a minority. People's Conference leader Abdul Gani Lone was assassinated for advocating a moderate line.
The government recently strengthened security for Hurriyat leaders after they agreed for talks.
One of the reasons for the Centre's earlier reluctance to talk to the Hurriyat was the latter's refusal to participate in elections, which would mean having to acknowledge the Constitution as supreme.
Recently, theĀ amalgam had split over the issue of participation in the 2002 assembly election. Maulvi Abbas Ansari heads the faction that favours talks with the Centre while Syed Ali Shah Geelani heads the one opposing it. Incidentally, Geelani also favours Kashmir being a part of Pakistan.
On November 20, 2003, the Hurriyat announced that it is ready for talks and two months later, a five-member Hurriyat team is in Delhi to meet Advani.