President’s maiden visit to Kashmir may give fillip to track two diplomacy

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Track two diplomacy on Jammu and Kashmir is expected to get a major fillip later this month when President Pratibha Patil inaugurates a school on Kashmir Studies in Kashmir University that will be attended by a high-profile crowd from SAARC countries.

The three-day jamboree from May 24, that will include a rock concert by the Pakistani band Junoon as well as an exhibition of women painters from South Asian countries besides Kashmiri artists, will be attended by 140 VVIPs including Maldives president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, former Sri Lankan prime minister Chandrika Kumaratunge and other dignitaries. Sources said Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai too was expected to attend but later expressed his inability to attend. The exhibition of women painters will be inaugurated by Aghanistan's women's affair minister HB Ghazanfar.

The Institute of Kashmir Studies in Kashmir University to be sponsored by the South Asian Foundation will fund studies on resolving the decades old Kashmir problem. Incidentally, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee is scheduled to visit Islamabad on May 21 to hold a review meeting of the fourth round of composite dialogue with his Pakistani counterpart. A day earlier, talks at the foreign secretary level will be held to take stock of Indo-Pak dialogue process.

The gathering of a large number of VVIPs in the valley, however, is certain to pose a major headache for police and security agencies, who will have to be on their toes for the three day event. J&K governor Lt Gen SK Sinha, who is the chancellor of Kashmir University, will be hosting a banquet for the invitees.