New Delhi: As a follow up to naming Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani for talks with Hurriyat Conference, an exercise has begun in the Government to evolve a "focussed approach" to the dialogue process.

The Government has formed a "Co-ordination Group" comprising Centre's interlocutor on Jammu and Kashmir N N Vohra, Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pande, Home Secretary N Gopalaswami, Intelligence Bureau Director K P Singh and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) Director A S Dulat to do the groundwork before talks could be held with Hurriyat leadership, high-level official sources told reporters in New Delhi on November 2.

After holding two preliminary meetings last week, the group will meet early next week again to hold comprehensive discussions on the intended dialogue considering the ground realities, they said.

"The exercise is to evolve a focussed approach to the dialogue process," a source said, pointing out that the group will be meeting at regular intervals.

Noting that Hurriyat's response after the October 22 announcement had been "positive", the sources said the Government expected the conglomerate to take "some time" before the talks could actually begin.

"The Hurriyat has said it will evolve a consensus before holding talks. Such an exercise takes time and we are also not in a hurry," they said.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Maulana Abbas Ansari-led Hurriyat are also busy holding discussions within the amalgam and separatist leaders outside it.

Efforts are also being made to woo the Syed Ali Shah Geelani-faction, besides Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) leader Shabir Shah to unite all the separatist forces for holding talks under one banner, Hurriyat sources said.

In this direction, discussions were held during last week among former Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Geelani and Shah, who had floated his own outfit after being expelled from Hurriyat in 1997 for meeting then US Ambassador to India Richard Celeste during a Kashmir visit despite the outfit's boycott, they said.

Confirming this, Shah told reporters over phone from Srinagar that "all the freedom-loving people needed to present a unified voice" while holding talks with the Central Government.

"Efforts are being made to see if there is some ground for reconciliation," he said.

Shah said he was not averse to rejoining Hurriyat but it needed to be "reshaped".

The Government's Co-ordination Group first met on October 24 and then held elaborate discussions with Advani.

PTI