NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will meet Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other leaders of Kashmir’s All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on Monday, both sides said on Wednesday.

The move follows weekend meetings between the prime minister’s representative Wajahat Habibullah, a bureaucrat who seems to have enjoyed the trust of ordinary Kashmiris for years, and their spiritual leader in Srinagar.

However, the move also coincided with reports of a financial investigation suddenly launched against breakaway liberal leader Shabbir Shah, indicating that not all was well with the latest peace overture from New Delhi.

Another resistance leader, JKLF’s Yasin Malik, was said to be invited to meet Dr Singh but he apparently pleaded his inability to attend the meeting citing a foreign tour.

“The Prime Minister has invited Hurriyat chairman and other leaders for talks,” the Indian prime minister’s Media Adviser Sanjaya Baru said.

Editorial

Updated 02 Aug, 2026

Urban flooding

THE warning from the disaster management and weather authorities that a new monsoon spell could trigger urban...
02 Aug, 2026

Fatal workplaces

THE methane explosion near Quetta that killed 34 coal miners is the latest entry in Pakistan’s long register of...
02 Aug, 2026

Dual standards

IT appears that the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party has fallen foul of the Election Commission of Pakistan. A...
Updated 01 Aug, 2026

Maritime alliance

AS the US-Iran war drags on, new battle lines are being drawn. The pro-US Gulf Arab monarchies and Iran have enjoyed...
01 Aug, 2026

Local governance

INTERIOR Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s speech at a business summit on Thursday has stirred a hornet’s nest. His...
01 Aug, 2026

Murders in Balochistan

GOOD news is scarce in Balochistan. Seven labourers were abducted and gunned down in Turbat city recently. Four...