In Muzaffarabad, Mirwaiz pitches for JK’s unification
ABID BASHIR/TARIQ NAQASH
Srinagar/Muzaffarabad, Dec 16:
Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Sunday advocated “unification of two Kashmirs as a single
entity” and urged India and Pakistan to organize an intra-Kashmir conference so
that people of the divided parts of Kashmir could meet frequently. Talking to Greater Kashmir over phone
from Muzaffarabad Mirwaiz said, “We started our visit from Pakistan
administered Kashmir (PaK). We received an overwhelming response here. The main
thing is that there is no difference in the thinking of PaK leadership and
Hurriyat leadership. They supported our stand and extended full cooperation to
us.” He said during his interaction with
the PaK leadership, he stated that Hurriyat wanted unification of two divided
parts of Kashmir to see JK as a single entity. “The PaK leadership fully
endorsed our stand,” Mirwaiz said.
Earlier
speaking at a function, hosted by PaK President Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan, at
Muzaffarabad Mirwaiz said: “Talks
between India and Pakistan are incomplete without the involvement of Kashmiris.
We want to move forward and serve as a bridge of friendship between the two
neighbours. But that is possible only when the demands of justice are met.” The function was attended by Prime Minister
Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, members of his cabinet, government officials and civil
society representatives. Earlier, both
the PaK President and Prime Minister welcomed the Hurriyat delegation members
on behalf of the government and people of PaK and during an meeting hailed them
for their perseverance, commitment and contribution towards Kashmir cause. Prior to the address of the Mirwaiz, the
delegation was also given a briefing with the help of multi media on
development and reconstruction related activities in PaK.
In
his elaborate speech, the articulate Mirwaiz dilated on various dimensions of
Kashmir issue, emphasising attention to the genuine aspirations of Kashmiri
people for the sake of real peace. “The pro-freedom leadership of Kashmir is
unanimous that Kashmir is a political and humanitarian issue that ought to be
resolved in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people,” he
declared. He pointed out that the
Kashmiri people did have grievances, like other citizens elsewhere in the
world, but what mattered the most for them were their aspirations, which need
to be addressed for establishment of durable peace in their motherland.
He
made it clear that the issue could not be brushed aside with economic packages
or other incentives. “We are not averse
to the way India and Pakistan are making progress in their relations and in
fact we want the trust deficit between them to end,” he said, but questioned:
“Can this deficit be removed without addressing the core issue?” Asserting that without settlement of Kashmir
issue, peace process would halt beyond a certain point, he said it was
incumbent upon the Pakistani and PaK leadership to devise a mechanism to ensure
that more Kashmir related Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) were taken and
strengthened along side progress on other issues. While appreciating people to people contact
and travel and trade initiatives and calling for their furtherance, he
underlined the need of resolution of all dimensions of Kashmir issue. “Time has come when barriers and distances
between both parts of Kashmir should end. Only then, we will believe that the
positive outcome of dialogue between Pakistan and India is being reflected in
Kashmir.”
He
expressed hope that India would bring flexibility in its approach and attitude,
instead of escaping from the settlement of Kashmir issue. “India
should not go for superficial or cosmetic peace but take concrete steps to
settle the issue amicably,” he stressed. The Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman insisted
that Kashmir’s movement could not be suppressed or weakened through the
military might. “Kashmiri youth is attached with the movement. Just one flare can bring
hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris back to the streets,” he warned.
Supporting trans-Kashmir travel of Kashmiri
leadership, he said: “We have to tell the world in conjunction that without
settlement of Kashmir issue the dream of peace, progress and prosperity will
never materialize.” “This visit is (part
of) a process. Just one or two visits will not resolve the issue but it will
send a message that real party has to be taken on board and will not accept any
imposed readymade solution,” he added.
Later,
the delegation was taken to the Kashmiri refugees’ Ambore camp, where Prime
Minister Majeed, Mirwaiz Umar and Bilal Gani Lone appreciated them for their
struggle and sacrifices which they said would soon bear fruit. The delegation also visited the recently
established public sector medical college in Muzaffarabad, named after Mirwaiz
Umar’s father, late Maulvi Muhammad Farooq. Late at night, the delegation members attended
a dinner at the PM House.
NISAR THOKAR ADDS FROM ISLAMABAD
Terming Kashmir as a trilateral problem, the
Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has said that it was high
time that India and Pakistan should evolve a mechanism whereby Kashmiris could
be associated with the ongoing dialogue process as a principal party. Talking
to Greater Kashmir on his arrival in Islamabad on late Saturday night, Mirwaiz
said that dialogue process between the two countries can’t yield desired
results without acknowledging the centrality of Kashmiris and the Kashmir
problem. In the changing scenario, he said, “We have seen India and Pakistan
are moving forward, however, we believe that Kashmiris have to be part of it as
the dialogue process between the two countries without Kashmiris is
incomplete”. “Hurriyat believes that
India and Pakistan can’t move much beyond a certain point unless Kashmir is on
the agenda of dialogue process. Just talking trade and culture and forgetting
the important issue of Kashmir, I think, won’t really help the two countries to
move much ahead”, he said.
Referring
to the changing world scenario, he said, “We have seen quite promising
developments around the world, Palestine, Arab Spring and you know the world is
acknowledging the fact that genuine movements can’t be suppressed through
force, intimidation or through repressive measures”. Regarding Hurriyat’s Pak sojourn, Mirwaiz
said: “The basic objective of our visit here is to meet people, talk to
political parties, political leaders and interact with them so that a broader
consensus on the issue of Kashmir could be forged through a process of
meaningful discussions and interactions.” Bearing in mind the fact that every political
party of Pakistan has a manifesto vis-à-vis Kashmir, Mirwaiz said, “I think it
is important that we will be talking to people and listening to their ideas and
sharing our views with them at this very stage when general elections in the
country were around the corner”.
“Kashmir is a complex issue, we can’t have
over-night solution and neither have we expected that a solution will come out
by this visit. It is after five long years Hurriyat has come to Pakistan in a
completely new and different scenario and such interactions and engagements I
believe would help to create an enabling atmosphere of mutual-understanding,”
he added. “This is actually a process of
interaction; I think it is very important so far as Kashmir is concerned”, he
said. “Pakistan has always supported Kashmir cause and our right to self
determination but we believe that it is high time that Kashmiris and Pakistani
leadership have to be on the same page in terms of how to deal with the
emerging situation”.
Asked
whether Hurriyat intends to hold talks with government of India, Mirwaiz said:
“Definitely the ball is in Indian court, we have time and again been saying
this that Kashmir is not a bilateral issue rather it is a trilateral problem
between three parties (Pakistan, India and the people of Kashmir). For that matter, he said that in 2007 Hurriyat
had suggested the government of India to initiate confidence building measures
to create a congenial and conducive atmosphere on ground.
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