New Delhi: Islamabad's aim of bringing about unity among various separatist Kashmiri factions failed even as Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz held marathon meetings with their leaders in New Delhi last night (Nov 23, 2004) in this direction.

Aziz, on his maiden visit to India, met separately with Hurriyat Conference acting chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Abdul Gani Bhat, hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and non-Hurriyat separatist leaders Yasin Malik and Shabir Shah for four-and-a-half hours. All of them had dinner jointly later at Pakistan House, the venue of the meetings.

Spotlight: Kashmir is NOT negotiable

However, after the first meeting, the separatist leaders admitted that disunity and differences among them persisted.

Emerging first from the meeting, which went on till half past midnight, J and K Democratic Freedom Party president Shabbir Shah told reporters that "unity is our internal matter and one day hopefully we will speak in one voice."

"The Government of Pakistan wants Hurriyat to be united... But it is an issue which the Hurriyat itself has to resolve. Our efforts in this direction are on," said Mirwaiz Farooq who left with Ansari, Bhat and Lone.

Geelani, who had quit Hurriyat to float a parallel faction Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, said there were differences among the various groups over the "approach" although agree over "disputed nature" of Jammu and Kashmir.

He listed these differences as holding of talks by the faction led by Farooq and their clandestine participation in 2002 Assembly elections in the State.

Asked whether these differences had disappeared, he said, "You (media) people should not bother about it. It is our problem."

The meeting between the Pakistan Prime Minister and the separatists came amid reports that Islamabad has told the rival faction leaders to set aside their differences and present a united face to attain "better bargaining power".

All the leaders, however, insisted on inclusion of Kashmiris in the ongoing Indo-Pak dialogue process, failing which, they claimed, it will not succeed.

Geelani raked up the issue of "plebiscite" and said the Kashmir issue should be resolved in its "historic perspective" by implementing UN Resolution.

Farooq said Hurriyat would support all peaceful efforts of India and Pakistan to resolve Kashmir issue but underlined that inclusion of Kashmiris was essential for its success.

He said his delegation had conveyed to Aziz that Pakistan should take up with India the issue of inclusion of Kashmiris in the dialogue process.

The Pakistan Prime Minister assured that his country gave paramount importance to the role of Kashmiris and they will be included whenever talks on "concrete" issues take place, said Farooq who along with Ansari and Bhat were seen off by Pakistan's High Commissioner Aziz Ahmad Khan with a hug.

Shah said Kashmir was a "tripartite" issue and Kashmiris have to be involved in the ongoing dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve the issue.

"Kashmir is a basic party to the dispute. It's a political issue to be resolved politically."

Echoing Shah, JKLF (Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front) leader Yasin Malik said Kashmiris are not part of the dialogue process between India and Pakistan at present and "we have the right to ask how the process will succeed without our participation."

"If India and Pakistan fail to include Kashmiris in the dialogue process, we will be forced to launch non-violent agitation on both sides of Kashmir," Malik said.

Ahead of the meeting, Pakistan High Commission officials held discussions with some Hurriyat leaders in which Islamabad's viewpoint is understood to have been conveyed.

Farooq, Bhat and Bilal earlier held discussions with some officials of the US and British embassies in New Delhi, details of which were not available.

Significantly, Union Textiles secretary Wajahat Habibullah, who is known to have good rapport with the separatists and had recently toured Srinagar, also met the three Hurriyat leaders in New Delhi.