By IRNA,
New Delhi : Pakistan and India cannot afford to put Kashmir on the back burner, said Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.
Adding that the time has come when Pakistan has to think in terms of what is in the interest of Kashmiris rather than what is Pakistan going to get out of Kashmir.
“No government in Pakistan can sideline the Kashmir issue. As long as the Kashmir issue is alive in the hearts and minds of people in Pakistan no government can afford (to do) it,” said Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference in an interiew to a news channel, CNN-IBN’s “Devil’s Advocate” program in Srinagar.
He also said that the Pakistan Army is the most important factor and any change in Pakistan’s policy on Kashmir would not be possible without consulting it.
This is what he said, “the most important factor in Pakistan is the Army. So I think, any Kashmir policy, if it has to be changed, that has to be in consultation with the Army.”
In the Devil’s Advocate interview, the Chairman of the All Party Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, was questioned about the spate of comments and official statements from Pakistan, particularly from Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, suggesting a sharp change in Pakistan’s traditional Kashmir policy.
Commenting on the change in Pakistan’s traditional Kashmir policy, Farooq whilst accepting that Pakistan’s approach to Kashmir has changed, he denied any change in policy.
“I don’t think there is a change in Pakistan’s policy, but definitely in approach, and which I feel is a welcome sign because if we have to address the issue of Kashmir”, we have always said that out of the box solutions and out of the box approach is what is needed”.
After first saying that the Hurriyat is not against the Indo-Pak dialogue or the two countries coming together, Mirwaiz Farooq disagreed with the comments of Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani suggesting that Kashmir should not be an obstacle to an improvement of India – Pakistan relations, and, specifically, emphasizing the need to boost trade as a way of bringing the two countries together.
“Pakistan and India cannot afford to put Kashmir on the back burner and talk about trade, politics, cultural exchanges, sports, because, it’s a live issue, people are getting killed. Yes, of course, there is a cease-fire on the borders. Indian and Pakistani forces are not getting killed, but the fact is that Kashmiris are getting killed in Kashmir.”
Speaking specifically about Pakistan, the Mirwaiz told Devil’s Advocate that Islamabad has to place the interests of Kashmiris ahead of its own interest when it thinks about Kashmir. He said: “The Hurriyat Conference is always of the view that – we as Kashimiris believe that the time has come when Pakistan has to think in terms of what is in the interest of Kashmiris rather than what is Pakistan is going to get out of Kashmir.”
“… In reality if we have to move forward, we have to understand the fact that Kashmir is a very vibrant issue in Pakistan, with all the internal problems and political issues they have, Kashmir remains the key as far as Pakistani public opinion is concerned. I am absolutely confident that no government in Pakistan can sideline the Kashmir issue. As long as the Kashmir issue is alive in the hearts and minds of Kashmiris as well as in the hearts and minds of people in Pakistan, no government can afford (to do) it” Farooq replied when Devil’s Advocate reminded Mirwaiz Farooq that in March Asif Zardari had told in the program that India and Pakistan should not be hostage to the UN resolution but could agree to disagree and, additionally, they should leave the Kashmir dispute to a later wiser generation and instead get on with improving their relationship.
Mirwaiz Farooq insisted that Kashmir was important to the Pakistani people and could not be sidelined for this reason, no matter what individual politicians may say.
Mirwaiz Farooq made it clear that in his eyes no civilian politician in Pakistan could change the country’s Kashmir policy unless and until the Army agrees to the change.
“The most important factor in Pakistan is the Army. So I think any Kashmir policy, if it has to be changed, that has to be in consultation with the Army. I don’t see that there is any change in Pakistan’s (Army’s) policy on Kashmir.”
Mirwaiz Farooq claimed Hurriyat is not an obstacle to the resolution of the Kashmir issue.
He said it wants to be the bridge between the two countries.
But he also said that India and Pakistan could not have a workable relationship till the Kashmir issue is resolved.
Commenting on Pak Prime Minister, Gilani’s statement in “Devil’s Advocate” programe, that whilst Pakistan would consult the Kashmiris, he wasn’t going to give the Kashmiris a veto.
And secondly, he said that Kashmir would not be an obstacle to an improvement of relations between the two countries.
Hurriyat Chairman said: “I don’t think, we want to be an obstacle.
In fact we want to be a bridge of friendship between the two countries. But, whatever Zardari is saying and Gilani is saying, the fact is that Kashmir is the bone of contention, and you cannot have workable relations between India and Pakistan unless and until there is some movement on Kashmir.”
“Kashmir issue could not be solved bilaterally and the third party (Kashmiris) has to be involved.”
“We have been seeing India and Pakistan talking over the years, and now it’s a fact that Kashmir can not be resolved bilaterally. You have to involve the third party, which is Kashmir. Shimla, Tashkent, Agra, New Delhi, these are all agreements which have failed primarily because Kashmiris were never consulted and involved,” Umer Farooq told Devil’s Advocate.
Speaking about Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani’s reference to General Musharraf’s ideas for a solution to Kashmir as “half-baked”, the Mirwaiz instead blamed the Indian government for the failure of General Musharraf’s efforts.
Mirwaiz Farooq insisted that General Musharraf’s four-point proposal is the key to solve the Kashmir problem.
He said: “He still commands respect among people and, in terms of Kashmir policy, I would say that I believe personally, if we have to move forward it is in and around the four point proposal (of) Musharraf”.
When Devil’s Advocate pointed out that India is not even talking to Hurriyat and Pakistan is changing it’s traditional position on Kashmir and suggested that this shows that circumstances and the world are moving against Hurriyat, Farooq replied: “I don’t think so. I think what counts is the situation on the ground. I think Kashmiris are determined on the ground. There is lot of faith as far as Kashmiris are concerned in terms of the tremendous sacrifices they have given.
Hundred thousand people have been lost in the last twenty years.
Yes, we can forgive, but we cannot forget.