NEW DELHI, March 23: Rival factions of Kashmir’s All PartiesHurriyat Conference attended the traditional Pakistan Day reception here on Monday saying they wished Pakistan well since it had stood by the Kashmiri people through their endless ordeals and struggles.

Kashmir Valley’s hardline leader Syed Ali Shah Gelani, who failed to show up on previous occasions at Pakistan’s receptions because of differences over the terms of Islamabad’s rapprochement with New Delhi, made a notable appearance. But he sat away from the mainstream Hurriyat leaders, including APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and former Hurriyat chief Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat.

Delhi Lt Governor Tejender Khanna was the chief guest at the first major reception by Pakistan’s High Commissioner Shahid Malik since relations with India dipped in November.

An APHC meeting in Srinagar lauded Pakistan’s diplomatic support for Kashmiris. Pakistan’s recent political events were described as an expression by the national parties to show they together wanted to make Pakistan strong and prosperous, a Hurriyat press statement said.
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