Chief of moderate Hurriyat to visit China

Chairman of the moderate faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq intends to visit China after the Eid festival, following his visit to Pakistan.

Sources said Farooq was applying for a visa to visit Beijing on an invitation from a China-based non-governmental organisation.

Though Mirwaiz himself was not available to confirm the visit, his secretary Shahidul Islam said the leader would be visiting China soon.

Islam said Mirwaiz would be applying for the visa after the Eid festival and that "he will be highlighting the Kashmir issue during his visit to China which is now an important player in the region".

The visit comes in the wake of a visa row between New Delhi and China with the latter issuing stapled visa for Kashmiri visitors to China, a move strongly being resented by the Indian government.

Mirwaiz, who has been involved in secret parleys with the union home minister P Chidambaram "to work out an amicable and honourable solution to the problems of Kashmir" will be the first separatist leader to visit China.

Mirwaiz recently favoured triangular talks between Kashmiri separatists, the Indian government and the faction, which would be followed by talks between his group and Pakistan.

The moderate APHC will meet again on Monday to finalise the team headed by Mirwaiz that would visit Pakistan after Eid, said sources.