PaK leader leaves for Srinagar to attend wedding

Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry, the former premier of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, today left on his first visit to the Jammu and Kashmir to attend the wedding of a friend's son and to meet Hurriyat leaders.

Chaudhry, a leader of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, was issued a visa by the Indian High Commission to visit Srinagar to attend the wedding of the son of his close friend Zahoor Ahmed Shah Watali.

He flew from Lahore to Delhi this afternoon and will travel to Srinagar tomorrow, one of his aides told PTI. During his stay in Srinagar, Chaudhry will meet representatives of the Kashmiri community and leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, the aide said. This is the first time that such a senior leader from PaK is visiting the Indian side and the visit will provide an opportunity for interactions and exchange of ideas, the aide said.

Chaudhry is one of the leading Pakistan-based Kasmhir lobbyists.He was continuously elected to the PoK Assembly during 1985-2006. Watali, a leading businessman of Srinagar, has invited other political leaders from PaK, including Muslim Conference chief Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, to his son's wedding to be held on September 17.