Yasin Malik, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and the man who masterminded the kidnapping of Rubiya Sayeed, daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir in December 1989, said his party will decide the fate of the invitation from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office to come to Delhi.
Speaking to rediff.com on phone from Srinagar, Malik confirmed he had indeed received an invitation to meet Dr Singh. "I have got an invitation from the government of India. It was delivered to me at six in the evening. Our party leaders will meet on Wednesday morning in Srinagar and discuss the matter and take a final decision on the invitation," he said.
Dr Singh has invited Malik to hold talks with him on the Kashmir issue and the meeting is slated to be held on Feburary 17 at 7 Race Course Road, the official residence of the prime minister, in the evening.
Malik is likely to be accompanied by some senior party leaders.
Malik has been upset by the manner in which the All Party Hurriyat Conference leaders have been hogging the limelight despite the fact they have no grassroot support.
"We fought the battle and now they are projecting themselves as heroes," Malik told this correspondent after his visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 2004.
He was also given a shabby treatment by the Pakistan government and his presence was virtually ignored while APHC delegation got all the media attention.