Srinagar: Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Friday claimed that the Centre approached him through an intelligence officer for starting dialogue with the government but he rejected the “offer” saying the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir ought to be addressed in the backdrop of its historical perspective.

A statement issued by Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference said that an IB official contacted the octogenarian leader and proposed a dialogue between him and the Centre. “But Geelani Sahib told him unequivocally that unless and until the Kashmir dispute is addressed to in its historical perspective, all these attempts are futile,” said amalgam spokesman Gulam Ali Gulzar.