PM man of vision: Ansari

SRINAGAR: While the recent thaw in Indo-Pak relations and the increasing international pressure on Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism has resulted in the scaling down of violence in the Kashmir valley, the moderate voices here are getting louder.
Moulvi Abbas Ansari, the new chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, has given clear indications that he is in favour of a settlement of the Kashmir dispute through talks.He lavished praise on Prime Minister Vajpayee, saying he had the vision and the stature to resolve the problem. On the other hand, chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said the Hurriyat must be involved in any future dialogue.
‘‘The Hurriyat has acquired a certain legitimacy, it has to be involved,’’ the Mufti said. Sayeed, it is learnt, has conveyed as much to the Centre on his last visit to New Delhi. Ansari, a moderate voice in the conglomerate, has compared Vajpayee to Nehru and said he had little doubt about the Prime Minister’s sincerity but felt he was surrounded by hardliners who did not allow him to succeed.
Vajpayee, he declared, is a man of calibre and cannot be compared to any other contemporary leader. Ansari said not only Vajpayee, but even Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was sincere about resolving the dispute but he, too, had to contend with the hardliners around him. ‘‘Vajpayee has the strength and sincerity to solve the Kashmir problem and he wants to do so.
But he has people around him who do not want a solution. Look, what happened at Agra,’’ said Ansari, adding: ‘‘Soon after Vajpayee spoke of extending a hand of friendship, Deputy Prime Minister Advani followed it up by saying that he had asked the security forces to go ahead with Operation Sarp Vinash.’’ Reiterating his stand that he was all for dialogue and peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute, Ansari maintained that the first step in this direction was for India and Pakistan to end their hostilities and start talks. ‘‘After they have thrashed out their differences, then we, the people of Kashmir, can be consulted,’’ he added.