Extending an olive branch to separatists ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit next week, the J&K government on Tuesday decided to revoke the detention of top Hurriyat leader Shabir Shah to facilitate and expand Hurriyat participation in the proposed dialogue with New Delhi.

This is the first major indication from the government towards resumption of talks that got stalled after the Hurriyat declined to join the Prime Minister’s Kashmir roundtable in 2006. However, moderate Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq recently expressed the conglomerate’s keenness to hold direct dialogue with the Centre.

“Yes, we are planning to do that (release Shah),” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told The Indian Express.

The Chief Minister has already expressed full support of his government for resumption of direct talks between the Centre and the separatists. “I am aware that there are people who think there is no need for engaging separatists after the successful Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Elections have nothing to do with it. If we do not talk to separatists, we will make a big mistake,” Omar said recently. “My government will facilitate such a process.”  

Shah, who was arrested for his role in the separatist protests in the Valley over the past one year, especially during the Amarnath land row, has always been pro-talks but had lately drifted towards the hardline camp. In fact, the J-K police had accused him of establishing constant contact over phone with Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Sayeed.

The release of Shah was stated to be one of the Hurriyat’s demands as a confidence building measures to facilitate dialogue. Mirwaiz, in public statements, has called for the release of the separatist prisoners.  He had also indicated that there has been a contact between the Centre and the Hurriyat. “Hurriyat is keen to renew the engagement and pick up the thread from where we left it,” he said. “I think flexibility is the need of hour. We have to be open to all new proposals on Kashmir. A hawkish outlook will get us nowhere,” Mirwaiz said in an apparent dig at his hardline counterpart Syed Ali Geelani.

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