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Shabir Shah's representatives to meet
K C Pant in Delhi, seek clarifications

A two-member team of the Democratic Freedom Party, earlier named by Shabir Ahmed Shah, left for New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon to meet the Centre's interlocutor K C Pant.

"The team is carrying a letter for Pant seeking certain clarifications," Shabir Shah told rediff.com on the phone. He said the team would meet Pant on Thursday and deliver the letter.

In the letter, Shabir Shah had said, "We believe in genuine political dialogue to find a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue and we believe the basic initiative lies with the Government of India.

"Bilateralism must ultimately lead to tripartite talks on Kashmir involving all the three concerned parties, India, Pakistan and Kashmiris," Shah wrote.

"History bears ample witness that bilateralism, has throughout the 50 years of the dispute, borne no fruit at all. It will be an exercise in futility to hope for permanent peace through the mechanism of bilateralism."

"Keeping in view the complexity of the Kashmiri problem, a serious, well-meaning beginning has to be made to start a gradual peace process aimed at the final settlement of the issue."

The letter further said, "Redundant elements at this critical juncture be discarded if the road map to permanent peace is to be chalked out."

Earlier, Shah had designated a three-member team to meet Pant. However, Hakim Abdul Rashid, one of the members, opted out saying Shah had not consulted him before constituting the team.

The Kashmir Cease-Fire: The Complete Coverage

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