Mirwaiz, Qayyum meet in Jeddah

Published September 25, 2004

RIYADH, Sept 24: Two important Kashmiri leaders, from the two sides of the Line of Control, are in Jeddah these days for, what political observers here believe exchanging views against the backdrop of Pakistan-India talks on Kashmir.

All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, from the held Kashmir, and former president and prime minister of Azad Kashmir Sardar Abdul Qayyum have been in Saudi Arabia for a few days and they are reported to have held a meeting in Jeddah on Wednesday.

Mirwaiz, it may be mentioned, was the only APHC leader who recently got his passport back from the Indian government, along with the permission to travel abroad. Mirwaiz Farooq also called on former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at his Jeddah residence on Wednesday.

Interestingly, the presence here of Mirwaiz and Sardar Qayyum coincided with a visit by an official Pakistani delegation led by the director general of Inter Services Intelligence, General Ehsanul Haque.

Pakistani diplomats here, however, have expressed ignorance about any visit by the ISI chief and Ambassador Admiral (retd) Abdul Aziz Mirza told this correspondent that "something of that sort" was taking place in Jeddah, it has not been organized by the Foreign Office.

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