Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, leader of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, has accepted the Eid Milan invitation from Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit and will attend the function on July 21 in New Delhi.
The decision came two days after hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani turned down the invitation from Mr. Basit over omission of the Kashmir issue from the joint statement of Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers in Ufa, Russia, recently.
Mr. Farooq will attend the function with the president of Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen, Masroor Abass Ansari. “During our meeting, we will convey our displeasure and concern over the omission of Kashmir from the joint statement in Russia,” Mr. Farooq told The Hindu . He said while they welcomed talks between the two countries, Kashmir’s omission is unacceptable and they would lodge a protest with the Pakistanis.
Another Hurriyat leader Shabir Ahmad Shah expressed interest in attending the Eid Milan function “but I have been under house arrest for the last three months. If I am allowed to go, I will.” “And there we will raise the issue of omission of Kashmir in Ufa.”
