Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has indicated that there could be a dialogue with the Centre in the near future, saying a “contact” exists with New Delhi.

“Yes, there are feelers from New Delhi. And I do believe there could be a dialogue between us in the next two months,” he told The Indian Express. “Hurriyat is keen to renew the engagement and pick the thread up from where we left it.”

Mirwaiz, who is heading for New York to attend the ministerial meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) contact group on Kashmir on September 25, also called for an end to the rigid approach towards settlement of Kashmir by all parties concerned, “including separatists”.

“I think flexibility is the need of the hour. We have to be open to all new proposals on Kashmir. A hawkish outlook would get us nowhere,” Mirwaiz said in an apparent dig at his hardline counterpart Syed Ali Geelani.

In its talks with the Centre, the Hurriyat would not press for a Kashmir solution “in one go” but would work towards incremental progress. “We should focus on some confidence-restoring measures to pave the way for a permanent settlement,” he added.

When asked about the OIC meet, Mirwaiz said the Hurriyat’s role was not to bash India at world fora but only to highlight the urgency for the resolution of Kashmir. “I would not speak against anybody at the (OIC) meet.”