After talking tough with the All Party Hurriyat Conference, the Indian government has softened its stand.
On Friday Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil tried to assuage the feelings of the separatist amalgam saying the government is ready to hold talks with it without any conditions.
The timing of the statement is crucial as it comes on the eve of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's departure to the US, where he will be meeting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.
The home minister also said the infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir is still continuing, though it has come down a bit.
"We are willing to hold talks on humanitarian grounds as was being done by the previous government led by Vajpayeeji," he said in response to a question that Hurriyat leaders see no point in talking while government was insisting on holding talks within the framework of the Constitution.
"I am not aware if the National Democratic Alliance government was holding talks outside the framework of the Indian constitution," he added.
He said no timeframe has been set up for talks with Hurriyat leaders. "We had said that we are willing to talk to them and it is for them to tell us their convenience," Patil said.
On talks with Manipur groups who are demanding the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, the home minister said, "Those who came to see me included doctors, professors, intellectuals, students and other wings. I thought we had good talks but somehow after the talks someone said the talks had broken down."
"We are willing to talk again. But essentially this is a matter to be handled by the state government as law and order is a state subject. I cannot override them and say that I would deal with it. Before that we would have to remove the government," he added.