Aug 22 , 2015
News
Besides three fixed points, Kashmir, Sir Creek, Siachen on agenda
Adviser calls Jammu Kashmir most important outstanding issue
ISLAMABAD – Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that peace and stability can only be achieved through resolution of Kashmir issue.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, he said more ironic was Indian alibi that Pakistan was trying to distort the agenda, agreed at Ufa and was imposing new conditions for the adviser-level talks.
He said the three-point agenda proposed by Pakistan, was fully in line with the Ufa (Russia) statement, including discussion on all terrorism-related issues, reviewing progress on actual decisions like prompt release of fishermen, better arrangements for religious tourism, and activation of mechanisms for restoring peace across the Line of Control and the Working Boundary.
He said that exploration of the modalities for discussions on all other outstanding issues, including Sir Creek and Siachen, was also on agenda. He said that India seemed reluctant to recognise the significance of the most important sentence in Ufa statement: "Pakistan and India have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development. To do so, they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues.”
Commenting on Kashmir, Sartaj said that the word ‘K’ is very much present in this sentence because everyone knows that the most important outstanding issue between the two countries was the future of Jammu Kashmir in accordance with the UN resolutions.
He said the statement of the India’s External Affairs Ministry that Pakistan has imposed new conditions totally ignored the last sentence of the note, handed over to the Indian High Commission on August 21 that Pakistan was ready to hold talks without any preconditions.
Sartaj said in fact it was India which introduced a new condition through its ‘advice’ that Pakistan should not meet Hurriyat leaders, thus assuming the right to determine the guest list for the High Commissioner's reception. He said it had been an old tradition that Pakistani leaders visiting India hold meeting with Kashmiri leaders.
"India cannot wish away that Kashmir is not an issue. If it is not an issue, what is the logic behind deploying hundreds and thousands of troops there,” Sartaj questioned.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk