ISLAMABAD, April 21: Sardar Abdul Qayyum, chairman Kashmir Committee, on Sunday confirmed that he met Abdul Ghani Lone in Dubai three days ago, but failed to recall if he had been asked to convey to Pakistan leadership that Jehadi elements should be stopped from going to occupied Kashmir.

Talking to Dawn, Sardar Qayyum said that he “did not know whether APHC leaders raised the issue of Jehadis or not, in Dubai meeting.”

Prof Lone has been quoted by Indian press as saying that he had told Sardar Qayyum that there was need for withdrawal of non-Kashmiri Jehadis from occupied Kashmir since Jehad was tainting the “movement”, especially after Sept 11 and Dec 13 incidents.

Sardar Qayyum, however, said that the meeting did take place in Dubai. When asked to comment on the statement of Prof Lone, he said Ghani Lone had said similar things when he visited Pakistan.

Sardar Qayyum said that in his address at Muzaffarabad, Prof Ghani, had said that there was need for disciplining the Jehadis as it was tainting the image of Kashmir movement.

Prof Ghani was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying that “both he and Khan (Qayyum) agreed that there’s no scope for militancy in their struggle and a solution is only possible through negotiations and peaceful means.”

Prof Lone and former Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq met Sardar Qayyum along with US-based Ghulam Nabi Fai Nazir Gilani, Mushtaq Gilani, Yousuf Naseem and others.

Prof Lone was further quoted as saying that “there was a common realization that several things and strategies are needed to be reviewed to keep up with the changing times,” said Lone. This movement has ceased to be the freedom struggle of Kashmiris. Let Kashmiris themselves take the driving seat.

Lone said: “I told them that it’s high time that Jehadis should leave us alone. Their presence is detrimental to our struggle especially because they initiated their international Jehadi agenda thus connecting Kashmir issue with terrorism,” he said.

Prof Lone was quoted as saying that he was the first Kashmiri leader who had welcomed the presence of Jehadis. “But when they started talking of unfurling their flag on Red Fort and White House, their activities began to hurt the interests of Kashmiris,” he said.