Thursday, September 22 2005 14:30 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Srinagar: Giving a jolt to the Hurriyat hard line faction led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, two of its constituents the National Front and People's Conference today (Sept 22, 2005) announced their decision to sever ties with the amalgam.

"We respect Syed Ali Shah Geelani as a person but as chairman of a forum he has disappointed us," National Front chairman Nayeem Khan and People's Conference leader Ghulam Mohammad Hubbi told reporters in Srinagar.

Khan said there was a lack of consultation in the amalgam and Geelani was pursuing a 'global agenda not in conformity with our aims right to self-determination'.

The constituents have not as yet decided whether they will be joining the Hurriyat moderate faction led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.

A major hardline constituent Anjuman-e-Shar-e-Shian had earlier quit the faction to join the moderates.

Khan also criticized Geelani's 'rigid attitude' and his not taking other constituents into confidence.

"When we had to decide about the invitation to visit Pakistan, my party wanted to go but in the interest of forum politics I went with the decision of Geelani. Even today, Geelani is on a tour of the Jammu region to promote his Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. He is not bothered about the forum," he added.

Hubbi said decisions were 'being forced down the throat of the constituents' and there were contradictions in policies of the amalgam.

Asked if they would join the Mirwaiz-led moderate faction, Khan said the decision would be taken at meetings of the National Front political affairs committee and of People's Conference working committee.

On the recent talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Hurriyat, Khan said "We are not against the concept of dialogue but it has to be result-oriented".

Khan favored inclusion of militants in the dialogue process but was non-committal regarding the reported invitation by Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to visit that country.

"Pakistan is a sovereign nation and can do whatever it wants," he said.