Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] and the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference began their talks on Monday evening � the first such deliberations under the United Progressive Alliance government � at the prime minister's residence at 7 Racecourse Road, New Delhi [Images].

Complete coverage: The road to peace

The prime minister was accompanied in the talks by Home Minister Shivraj Patil [Images], National Security Advisor M K Narayanan and the PM's special emissary on Kashmir, N N Vohra.

Why must the PM talk to Hurriyat?

The Hurriyat delegation led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, which drove up to the PM's house in an Ambassador car provided by the Government of India, was taken in through the backdoor, but not before a photo-op was provided for the waiting media.

The talks are expected to last two hours, sources said.

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