NEWS

'Crossing PoK will be breach of trust'

By Onkar Singh in New Delhi
May 31, 2005 11:57 IST

National Security Advisor M K Narayanan has said that if leaders of the All Party Hurriyat Conference go beyond Pakistan occupied Kashmir to Islamabad or other places during their two-week tour it would amount to breach of trust between India and Pakistan.

He was speaking to foreign correspondents after Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had an informal meeting with them.

"We will never stand in their way if they want to travel to Pakistan; but this particular route is meant only for the territory covering the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. We would allow them to travel to Pakistan with passports," Dr Singh said on Monday evening.

The government has noted the statement of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to rediff.com on Monday, wherein he had said that the Hurriyat delegation would be visiting other places besides POK since they had been invited by the Pakistani government.

Mirwaiz Umer Farooq is leading a five-member delegation to POK and is expected to meet Kashmir leaders from the other side of the border.

" I am not aware of the government of India's reaction. Let us see what happens. We have submitted our documents to the regional passport office and would hear from it on Tuesday afternoon," Mirwaiz told rediff.com from his residence in Srinagar.

Meanwhile, chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Organisation Yasin Malik has decided travel to PoK alone as the government has not cleared the names of his associates.

Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom party Shabhir Shah is expected to file his documents on Tuesday.

" Hurriyat leaders submitted their documents only last night (Monday) and they would get clearance sometimes later in today," president of the People's Democratic Party Mehbooba Mufti said on phone from Srinagar.

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

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