Why did you resign?

I have not resigned per se. What I have done is asked Mirwaiz Umer Farooq to take over as acting chairman. Until two months ago, the Government of India was talking only to us, but later, (then) prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said they would talk to other parties as well.

I felt the government had lost its sincerity. I also felt that if we were to carry forward our process of dialogue, then we should unite amongst ourselves and bring into the Hurriyat those leaders who have so far stayed so that we can all talk in one voice with the Government of India.

Did you invite people like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who wants to chair the Hurriyat, and Shabbir Shah to join you in the talks?

We have made an offer to (Shabbir) Shahsaheb to join our delegation and had told him that we would drop one of our five members to give him space. But he did not accept our offer. He is of the view that we should not have held talks with the Government of India at all.

As far as Geelani is concerned, he is not chairman of the breakaway group of the APHC as he is normally referred to in the media. His own party, the Jamaat, has expelled him from the party and it is the Jamaat that is a constituent of Hurriyat Conference.

Geelani would have to either rejoin the Jamaat or float a new outfit and then apply for the Hurriyat's membership. Once that is done and he becomes a member of the general council, he can then seek election to the executive committee. Only after that can he become chairman of the APHC.

Do you feel there is a need to broaden your delegation?

Definitely. We would like to carry everyone in Kashmir along with the Hurriyat Conference. If Shahsaheb wants to join us, he is welcome. So are the others.

You say you have resigned but Mirwaiz has not yet taken over. What is the position?

As far as I am concerned, I have handed over the chairmanship to him. Whether he has taken over or not, I am not sure. He, in any case, would be acting chairman till someone else is elected chairman in my place.

Why is no one ready to take over as chairman of the Hurriyat Conference?

I am ready to continue as chairman another year plus one month. That is when my tenure ends. But I want that we should all speak in one voice. India has put us in a very awkward position. If we continue to talk in different voices, then India can tell the world that they were ready to talk to us but we did not respond properly. I am pained at the attitude of some of the leaders on this count.

Do you feel it will take some time before you have your third round of talks with the government?

Our effort is to unite with those organisations that are not a part of the dialogue process so far. The moment that is achieved, we would be ready to continue the talks and take them to their logical end. I cannot give you any timeframe for whether the talks would be held in July or in August.

Recently there has been a spurt in terrorist violence. Has that changed the ground realities in Kashmir?