India detains, releases Kashmir separatists ahead of talks with Pakistan

Authorities In Indian-controlled Kashmir Thursday detained and subsequently released separatist leaders ahead of their talks with Pakistan prime minister's advisor on national security and foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz.

However, a key separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani continues to be under house arrest. The detentions came two days before the leaders were scheduled to travel to New Delhi to meet Aziz.

Aziz is scheduled to visit New Delhi on Sunday to hold talks with India's national security advisor Ajit Doval aimed at resuming dialogue process and ease tensions between the two countries.

Pakistan has invited separatists from Indian-controlled Kashmir for a meeting with Aziz at its high commission in New Delhi. On Thursday morning Indian police put Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and others under house arrest, while detained another separatist Mohammed Yasin Malik at a police station in Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Though curbs on Farooq and others were lifted, and Malik released after two hours, Geelani was under house arrest until last reports came in. India's official broadcaster - All India Radio (AIR) said the move was seen as part of efforts to prevent separatists from meeting Aziz ahead of security talks.

"Authorities today released two senior separatist leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and former Hurriyat Chairman Abbas Ansari a few hours after their detention in their houses. However, Syed Ali Geelani continues to be under house detention," the broadcaster said.

A senior police official told Xinhua the detention and release was carried out on the instructions of higher ups. "We got the orders to detain them and later on instructions to release them were passed," the police official said pleading anonymity. "It is beyond my understanding why the drama was played?" Farooq told a local news gathering agency. "We have always played a role in improving the relations between India and Pakistan and will continue doing so. Kashmir is the core issue between the two nations and its solution is necessary for the people of both India and Pakistan."

Meeting between the security advisors of the two countries has come at a time when their troops are targeting each other's positions and civilian areas along Line of Control (LoC) in restive Kashmir. Both sides have suffered causalities in the ongoing skirmishes.

The meeting was agreed upon by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif last month during their meeting in the Russian city of Ufa. The cease-fire violations on LoC and border in Kashmir are likely to figure in Sunday's agenda.

Separatist leaders told media they were yet to decide on meeting Aziz in New Delhi. Last month Geelani and Malik boycott Eid (Muslim festival) party function hosted by Pakistan High Commission office in New Delhi as a mark of protest with Islamabad for ignoring the Kashmir issue at Ufa.

New Delhi called off foreign secretary-level talks with Islamabad last year citing reservations over Pakistan's engagement with Kashmiri separatists ahead of the talks.