Talks can be held even with those separatists who have been arrested by the NIA, Jammu and Kashmir's Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said here today.

'Actually, we must not link the two things (talks and NIA investigations) because NIA is an autonomous body. It has its mandate and NIA has found certain acts which are not as per the law. So, NIA is taking action,' he told reporters.

'As far as dialogue is concerned, if it is felt that those people, even if they are behind the bars, they can be consulted, no problem in that, because it is happening. It happens everywhere,' Singh told reporters here..