After meeting Chinese official, Mirwaiz attends Pakistan Day

NEW DELHI - After meeting with foreign leaders, including a senior Chinese official, during his trip abroad, moderate Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq met Pakistani high commission officials here Tuesday.

The Mirwaiz attended a dinner hosted by High Commissioner Shahid Malik at the Pakistan Day function in the high commission. His bitter critic and hawkish Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani too was present.

The Mirwaiz, who heads the moderate faction of the separatist conglomerate Hurriyat Conference, said: “The meeting was informal and there was no preset agenda. I apprised the high commissioner about the latest situation in Jammu and Kashmir.”

The Mirwaiz returned to Delhi Monday from Geneva where he had gone to attend the 13th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

In Geneva, the Kashmiri cleric met China’s Director Foreign Affairs Ying Gang and discussed a “possible Chinese role” in resolving the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.

Gang expressed China’s support “for the settlement of Kashmir as per the wishes and aspirations of people of the state”, he said.

He said China supported resumption of composite dialogue between India and Pakistan. “China wants the two countries to take steps towards the resolution of Kashmir,” he said.

The Mirwaiz said he will be visiting China soon following an invitation from NGO Han Foundation.

About the talks with New Delhi, the separatist leader said the government had not met the basic criteria to create an “atmosphere necessary for a result oriented dialogue” over the Kashmir issue.

The government, he said “must withdraw security forces from civilian areas; repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act; release political prisoners”. “Only will then the dialogue start,” he added.