The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front on Tuesday called Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's scheduled visit to Kashmir a 'political trick.'

Hurriyat leaders hope to meet PM

In a statement released in Srinagar, JKLF chief spokesman Tahir Ahmad Mir said the visit is aimed at diverting the world attention from the continuing bloodshed in the Valley.

"People of Kashmir will be happy only after complete independence...economic packages will not heal the wounds of
the Kashmiris," the statement said.

Apparently referring to Hurriyat Conference chairman Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari's statement that the amalgam is ready to hold talk with Delhi, Mir said: "Those who talk of bilateral dialogues should know that such talks have failed failed in the past. Bilateral talks and agreements like Shimla agreement between India and Pakistan and the Kashmir Accord between the Centre and Sheikh Abdullah only harmed the Kashmir cause."

Democratic Freedom Party leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, however, said he hoped that the prime minister will be able to carry the current India-Pakistan peace process forward.

"I hope the PM will try to carry forward the process of friendship with Pakistan he set in motion during his visit to the state in April and take measures to resolve the Kashmir issue," said Shah.
 
The prime minister's visit begins Wednesday.