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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Ansari quits to strengthen Hurriyat |
| 2004-07-08 |
| NEW DELHI: In an apparent bid to unite various pro-freedom groups in Kashmir, moderate All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Maulana Abbass Ansari on Wednesday stepped down and appointed Mirwaiz Umer Farooq as the interim chief. Ansari quit the post at a meeting of the Hurriyat executive council held at Hurriyat headquarters in Srinagar and asked Mirwaiz Farooq, its founder chairman, to take over the reins. A statement issued after an hour-long meeting said that Ansari had urged Mirwaiz Farooq to redouble unity efforts and consult all executive and general council members to restore the constitutional shape of the pro-freedom alliance. The statement said fresh elections would be held for the post of the chairman once the unity process was over. However the statement would not mention the third round of talks with the new Indian leadership, which was supposed to be the main agenda of the meeting. Soon after Ansari’s elevation as chairman last September, the Hurriyat had a split. First, senior leader Syed Ali Geelani walked away and formed his own faction. His exit was followed by Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik and People’s League chief Sheikh Abdul Aziz. |
| Posted by:Steve White |