New Delhi: Hurriyat Conference on August 5 said that it had "no problems" in holding talks with the Kashmir Committee headed by former Law Minister Ram Jethmalani even as it ruled out participation in polls in the forthcoming Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

"My good wishes are with them and I have no problems in holding talks with them as they are renowened intellectuals of the country and the initiative is purely in their individual capacity and the government has nothing to do with it," Hurriyat Conference chairman Abdul Gani Bhat said.

The Kashmir Committee was formed on August 4 with Jethmalani as its chairman and Supreme Court advocate Ashok Bhan as its convenor. The other members of the committee are former Law Minister Shanti Bushan, 'Times of India' editor Dileep Padgaonkar, freelance journalist Jawid Laiq, retired IFS officer V K Grover, eminent lawyer Fali Nariman and 'Asian Age' editor M J Akbar.

However, Nariman and Akbar could not attend the committee's meeting on August 4.

While Jethmalani had on August 4 told reporters that Hurriyat had stated that they did not have enough time for arranging the logistics, Bhat rejected any proposal to take part in the polls saying, "This is an irrelevant exercise. We have made it clear that we will not participate in the polls and the issue no longer exists for us."

The Hurriyat chairman said that he was aware of the formation of the committee and added, "We will co-operate with them in finding an everlasting solution to the problem."

"I think sensible people of India, Pakistan and Kashmir should join together and move together for resolving the issue which has been eating into the vitals of both the countries," Bhat said.

He said that both the countries should realise that they had to shun the beaten tracks of the past and work for a better tomorrow by engaging in a fruitful dialogue.

Commenting on Jethmalani's claim on August 4 that he had deputed the Hurriyat's Delhi-based spokesman Abdul Majid Bandey to attend the maiden meeting of the committee, Bhat said, "I did not depute anyone for the meeting. He must have attended it in his personal capacity or on an invitation from the committee members."

Besides Hurriyat Conference, senior separatist leader Shabir Shah had also welcomed the formation of the committee and expressed his positive approach to any invitation from them for holding talks.

Shah, who heads Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom (JKDF) party, said that the committee should rope in as many separatists to find a meaningful and everlasting solution to the Kashmir problem as possible.

"The Centre and Pakistan government should allow the Kashmir Committee on both sides of the border to interact with each other and help evolving a solution for lasting peace in the state," he said.

Pakistan has also formed a committee on Kashmir, which is headed by Sardar Abdul Qayyum.

PTI