PM had deputed Soz to convince separatists to join talks

NEW DELHI, Aug 31 (UNI): As the Centre's interlocutors almost failed to persuade separatist leaders to resume the dialogue,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to intervene and deputedsenior Congress leader Saiffudin Soz to break the deadlock.

Sources said Prof Soz airdashed to Srinagar on Friday, carrying the Prime Minister's message to Mirwaiz Omar Farooq led-moderate Hurriyat Conference, inviting them for the dialogue.

Prior to Prof Soz's meeting with Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Bhat, two senior bureaucrats were sent to the Valley to persuade their reluctant leaders to resume the dialogue.

Centre's Interlocutor on Jammu and Kashmir N N Vohra and Wajahat Habibullah, Secretary in the Panchayati Raj Ministry, spent several days in the state and interacted with several separatist leaders, including Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yaseen Malik and Democratic Freedom Party head Shabir Shah.

Sources said the Prime Minister's Office contacted the Hurriyat leaders today and invited them for the parleys.

It is learnt that the Hurriyat has accepted the invitation and are arriving here on September four.

Prof Soz, who was camping for several days in the Valley, finally succeded in convincing the separatists to join the dialogue process.

Several prominent politicians, diplomats and social activists were directly or indirectly involved in preparing the groundwork.

This included Gandhian Nirmala Deshpande, journalist Prem Shanker Jha and noted lawyer Ashok Bhan, who was the convenor of the Ram Jethmalani-led Kashmir Committee.

Prof Soz downplayed his role in breaking the ice and told UNI that "it is not important who played what part in this crucial matter what is important is that the Hurriyat has been invited.

They have received a proper invitation." "The Prime Minister has several advisers....

I am also available to him," he added.