Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Friday said Kashmir was the core issue and its peaceful resolution would be in the interest not only India and Pakistan but entire South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries and Indian leadership should adopt realistic approach over Kashmir.

Addressing a seminar on “All Party Kashmiri Parliamentary Group Report on Kashmir” he said dialogue was the only method to resolve all outstanding disputes with India including Kashmir.

He said the sooner the Indian leadership changes its approach towards Kashmir, the better it would be the region.

He said it would be foolish to believe that Pakistan was fomenting unrest in Kashmir as sentiments of freedom in the people of Kashmir were indigenous.

Tens of thousands of Kashmiris take to streets for freedom movement which was manifestation of the fact that this struggle was not sponsored by anyone else, he added.

“It is narrative of the hearts which cannot be changed through the bullets and guns. The more India would try to crush the peaceful freedom movement, the more the freedom movement will get momentum”, he remarked.

He said in categorical terms that Pakistan does not consider Kashmir a dispute of a piece of land but a humanitarian issue involving fundamental rights of Kashmiri masses.

Fawad said Prime Minister Imran Khan told Indian media persons on the occasion of ground-breaking ceremony of Kartarpur corridor that peace was only way forward for both Indian and Pakistan and opening of this corridor was part of this policy.

He quoted Prime Minister Imran telling Indian media persons that when pictures of weeping Kashmiri women and blood-soaked dead bodies of innocent Kashmiri youth surface on the social media, the road to peace becomes murky.

He said Kashmir was in the blood of every Pakistani, and Pakistan had fought three wars with India on Kashmir.

The minister said Indian author and intellectual Arun Dhatti Rai had rightly said that Kashmir narrative had taken over entire Kashmir.

The minister said Pakistan enjoyed overwhelming support in Kashmiri people.

The minister said Pakistan government and all other national institutions were desirous for peace in the region and wanted that Kashmiris across the Line of Control, and Punjabis and Sindhis across the border could meet each other by Kartarpur-like openings.

He said idea behind opening of Kartarpur border was to promote peace in the region.

The subcontinent used to be most rich economy of the world but now due to Pakistan-India dispute mainly over Kashmir large population in both countries was facing poverty.

He said peace was necessary for fighting poverty and ignorance in the region and durable peace could only be achieved through the means of dialogue.

Published in Daily Times, December 1^st 2018.