Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Maulana Fazl ur Rehman, Chairman Parliamentary Kashmir Committee has said General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf was responsible for weakening Pakistan’s position on Kashmir.

He was addressing in a seminar on “Human Rights, Youth and the Issue of Jammu and Kashmir”, organized by Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI) on Wednesday.

Fazl said that Modi Government is trying to impose Hindu extremist Government on Kashmir. Those Pundits and other Hindu Community left the territory long time ago, they were again brought back in Kashmir for disturbing current demography. He said Pakistan considers that Kashmir is a regional problem and right of self determination of Kashmiris is accepted by international community. “We are saying that Kashmir is our integral. We also say that water coming from Kashmir and its strategic location is important for Pakistan. But these all our views that are from Pakistan’s perspective” he said.

He suggested that Pakistan’s point of view on Kashmir should be from perspective of Kashmir. In the process of negotiation between Pakistan and India Kashmir issue must be included besides other agenda but India does not want to talk on it.

He said that Pakistan never disturbed dialogue process between two countries but due to terrorism or on other pretexts India always stopped dialogue.

He said that both Pakistan and India possess the nuclear war-heads and even now there is not any possibility of conventional war. Now whole world knows the fact that until and unless Kashmir problem is resolved, peace and stability cannot return to the region. Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman said that former military dictator General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf has weakened the Pakistan’s position on Kashmir. Previously the stance of Pakistan was that Pakistan was not involved in intrusion into occupied Kashmir. But Musharraf said that Pakistan will stop intrusion. He said that Pakistan’s lobby on Kashmir seems very weak, not any embassy in the world taking any care of it. He said Pakistan adopted war on terror as its own war, which badly affected Pakistan. Federal Minister Lt General (Retd) Abdul Qadir Balouch said that by force Kashmiris will not be pressed to withdraw their freedom struggle.

Even pro India leadership in occupied Kashmir was rejected and treated very badly by Kashmiris. Balouch said that if Kashmiris got independence, its cooperation will not end with Pakistan, because out of 11 routes nine meets with Pakistan. Until and unless Palestine and Kashmir problems are resolved, peace will remain a pipedream for the world and its people. Senator Raja Zafarul Haq of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N said that there are 23 resolutions on Kashmir in the United Nations and it is responsibility of the conscience keeper organization to implement these resolutions.

He accepted that in 1950’s Britian and other European countries supported Pakistan’s point of view on Kashmir. Ghulam Muhammad Safi, Convener of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) said that Kashmiris’ want freedom and with its own Prime Minister, President and Supreme Court. “We are in favour of dialogue but want nothing less than freedom” he added.