People's Conference abstains from Hurriyat meeting

The People's Conference of Bilal Gani Lone on Tuesday abstained from an All Parties Hurriyat Conference meeting called to finalise the agenda for APHC's talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"We are not attending the meeting," Lone, who heads one of the three factions of the People's Conference, told PTI.

Although the People's Conference is not against the dialogue process, it wants a wider representation of people from the Valley for the talks, Bilal said.

Also see: Visit is about Kashmir, not cricket: Musharraf

"There

are many people outside the ambit of Hurriyat. Before we move ahead with the talks process, we should take one and all into confidence," he added.

Bilal's father Abdul Gani Lone was shot dead by militants in 2002.

Meanwhile, the moderate faction of the Hurriyat headed by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq met in Srinagar to the discuss the agenda for its meeting with Musharraf on April 17.