J&K international issue, can’t be resolved bilaterally: Hurriyat (G)

Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (G) Monday took strong exception to India’s external affairs minister S M Krishna’s “unrealistic and contradictory” statements on Kashmir.In a statement issued here, the amalgam said Krishna had exhibited “India’s traditional dual policy on Kashmir, while terming Kashmir as an unsettled bilateral issue and describing it as India’s integral part in the same breath.”“This contradiction reflects the double speak policy of Indian rulers on Kashmir. Moreover, Kashmir is not Siachen, Sir Creek, or any other border dispute between India and Pakistan, which can be resolved bilaterally in New Delhi or Islamabad by the foreign secretaries, external ministers of prime ministers of the two countries. Kashmir is an international issue which cannot be resolved without the role and guarantee of   international community,” the statement to KMW said.“Even if the recently revived dialogue process yields any result on the pattern of Shimla or Tashkent agreements, there can be no progress on resolving the Kashmir issue until the aspirations and sacrifices of Kashmiri people and the historical context of the issue are not taken into consideration,” the Hurriyat faction said.The amalgam said that soft borders and promotion of trade cannot address the “wishes” of Kashmiri people, and such “cosmetic measures” cannot undermine the “Kashmiris’ desire for freedom.”The amalgam said both parts of the divided Jammu and Kashmir were rich in natural resources like water and forests, and the region could become “a huge trading centre” because of its geographical position. “However, all this will be possible only when the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir is resolved in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of its people.”“Until Kashmiris are not included in the decision making process on their future, and the political uncertainty found in the region not addressed, any agreement reached between India and Pakistan on the issue won’t prove durable,” it said.