Toughening its stand against Pakistan, the ruling Congress party on Thursday said the Hurriyat leaders' trip from occupied Kashmir to other cities of Pakistan was in violation of the understanding between the two countries and that the government should take 'an appropriate view on it'.

"It has been a breach by the Pakistan government and the blame lies on its doorstep. It is for the government to take an appropriate view on it. It is a serious matter," Congress spokesman Anand Sharma told reporters in New Delhi.

The spokesman was responding to questions from reporters about the letter written by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee accusing the United Progressive Alliance government of making the Indo-Pak peace process Kashmir-centric and giving more prominence to Hurriyat leaders.

• Indo-Pak peace process has become Kashmir-centric, says Vajpayee

"The Bharatiya Janata Party's charge is misplaced and unwarranted. The Hurriyat has not been given any special importance by the government. They have been given importance by President Pervez Musharraf [Images] and the government of Pakistan," Sharma said.

"There is an understanding that travel between the two countries requires permits issued by the Regional Passport Office from the Indian side," he said.

He also questioned the representative character of the Hurriyat, saying, "The Congress does not consider the Hurriyat as representative of the Kashmiri people. There is an elected assembly which represents the people of the state."

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