NEW DELHI: In yet another provocative move, Pakistan has invited separatist leader Masarat Alam, who was released from jail earlier this month, to attend its National Day celebrations to be held in the national capital on Monday.
Alam has however refused to attend Pakistan Day celebrations. Earlier this month, a huge political controversy had erupted over the release of Alam. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had even warned its new alliance partner in Jammu and Kashmir – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – to mend its ways.
Reports claimed that BJP had warned J&K Chief Minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to either mend ways or the alliance will be called off.
The BJP top brass is angry over Masarat’s “unilateral” release by the PDP without consulting the party and warned that it will not allow any more such releases of separatists or militants.
Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Monday said that the primary objective at present is to achieve peace between India and Pakistan and resolve issues.
“Indian Foreign Secretary was in Pakistan earlier this month. We are looking forward to resumption of an engagement process. Let’s hope that the engagement will continue which started with Jaishankar’s [S.Jaishankar] visit to Pakistan,” he told to a News Agency.
Seven separatist leaders including Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq will attend Pakistan’s National Day celebrations at its High Commission in the national capital today
Ahead of attending the Pakistan Day function, Mirwaiz Friday night met Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit to understand Islamabad’s stand at the recent Foreign Secretary-level talks held between India and Pakistan besides informing him of the “ground situation” in the state.
After meeting Basit, Mirwaiz said all stakeholders should be involved in trying to find a solution to the issues between both countries.”The meeting was good, we talked about the new start in ties between both countries,” the chief of the moderate Hurriyat Conference said.
Basit told the moderate separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference that Islamabad was waiting for a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and wanted to move forward on all outstanding issues before it took place.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday downplayed the development saying that Pakistan is free to invite everyone for its National Day celebrations.Besides Mirwaiz, others in the delegation included Abdul Gani Bhat, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Bilal Gani Lone, Aga Syed Hassan, Mussadiq Adil and Mukhtar Ahmad Waza.
Last year, India had called off the foreign secretary level talks set for August 25 after the Pakistani High Commissioner met Kashmiri separatist leaders ahead of the talks, ignoring India’s request not to do so.

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