Talks between India, Pak would help Kashmir issue: Hurriyat

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Extending gratitude to Pakistan for supporting the just struggle of Kashmiri people and their principled stand on Kashmir, the Hurriyat leadership on Thursday said the resumption of parleys between the two countries would pave the way for the resolution of all pending issues including Kashmir between the two neighbours.

A delegation of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) led by its Chairman, Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq and including Hurriyat Executive Council members Moulana Abbas Ansari, Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat, Muhammad Musadiq Adil and Mukhtar Ahmad Waza on Thursday held detailed discussions with Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi, Abdul Basit.

The Hurriyat leaders who were in New Delhi to attend the Pakistan Day reception on March 23 at the Pakistan High Commission, held talks with the Pakistan High Commissioner on various issues related to Kashmir, the recent meeting of the Indo-Pak External Affairs Ministers and the efforts for the restoration of dialogue process between the two countries besides exchanging ideas over other issues.

Stressing that the need of the hour was to make the dialogue process a continuous and sustained affair rather making it a stopgap arrangement, the APHC leaders said Kashmir was the core issue between the two countries due to which 1.25 crore people of the state were living a painful life and which had robbed the entire South Asia of real peace, stability and prosperity for the past seven decades.

Laying emphasis that for a durable solution on Kashmir, in any type of dialogue between the two countries, there was a need of involving Kashmiri leadership, the Hurriyat leaders said the conglomerate has always stood for cordial ties between the two countries.

However, they said putting Kashmir issue on the backburner had never yielded any positive results in the past and would prove to be disastrous in future too.

On the occasion, Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit assured the APHC leadership that there was no change in the Pakistan’s National Policy on Kashmir and it was the firm stand of the Pakistan’s leadership that the resolution of Kashmir issue was imperative for creating a peaceful, tension free and prosperous Indo Pak Subcontinent and for that the Pakistani leadership was united for the resolution of Kashmir as per the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiri people.

Meanwhile, on the “International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims” an APHC spokesman said the day is observed all over the world to honour the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and promote the importance of the right to truth and justice, however in Kashmir the things are completely different. Here not only are the victims of such violations have been denied justice but to remember and honour such victims, the raising of any memorial point is also not allowed by the authorities.

Terming the appeal of Secretary General of United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, to all nations for speeding up the process of delivery of justice to the victims of such violations and ensuring the protection of human rights of their citizens as encouraging, the APHC spokesman appealed the UN Secretary General to pay attention towards the victims of human rights violations in Kashmir and use his influence in providing justice to these victims as well as protect their right to honour the memory of the victims.

The spokesman also urged him to ask New Delhi to end human rights violations in Kashmir. (ANI)