NEW DELHI, Sept 1: An old fault-line between anti-India hardliners and pro-freedom moderates in the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) deepened on Sunday when

a large gathering of the 23-member coalition failed to decide if a key partner should be expelled.

APHC sources told Dawn the main divide over the move by the hardliners to expel the People’s Conference group of the slain moderate leader Abdul Gani Lone, appeared to have been ranged between APHC chief Abdul Ghani Bhat and Kashmir’s spiritual leader Maulvi Umar Farooq, APHC’s former head.

They said Bhat appeared to be backing the hardliners who have accused the two sons of Abdul Gani Lone of instigating their People’s Conference supporters to contest the controversial elections from the Kupwara border district.

Maulvi Umar Farooq on the other hand has taken the view that individuals, who had left the group had the right to take the path of their choice. He believes that since the People’s Conference has not publicly taken a position to contest the polls there is no ground for expelling them from the APHC, which forbids any participation in the elections.

The Lone brothers, Bilal and Sajjad, have so far denied supporting the rebel candidates, all close aides of their father.

Bhat told reporters in Srinagar that the APHC’s seven-member executive committee would meet on Monday to discuss the issue and also, if possible, take a decision.

“The executive council of Hurriyat will meet tomorrow again and brief the press in the afternoon,” he said.

Bhat said the working committee, executive council and the general council of the APHC met on Sunday “to discuss certain issues, including the decision by a few members of the People’s Conference to contest the polls”.

He said though several issues were on the agenda, the one relating to the ‘dummy’ candidates dominated the proceedings. The People’s Conference is represented in the Hurriyat by Bilal Gani Lone, the elder son of the party founder and slain Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone. Bilal was, however, not present at the meeting where the party was represented by Hafizullah Makhdoomi.

“The deliberations will continue .... we are meeting tomorrow again” to take a final decision, Bhat said. The discussions in the closed-door meeting of the Hurriyat were stormy as the voice of several speakers could be heard in the lawn of Hurriyat headquarters, reports said.

Speakers could be heard questioning the People’s Conference’s moral right to raise slogans in favour of independence when some of their members are contesting the elections.

However, Bhat sought to downplay the exchange of heated arguments saying “the session was thought provoking and was gracefully productive. It was held as expected and was as nice as you are and we are”.