2 April, 2005	Saturday	22 Safar 1426

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NEW DELHI, April 1: Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has termed the threats issued by Kashmiri militants a week ahead of the launch of the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service uncalled-for and stressed that the bus link ought not to be seen as an end in itself. “There is no need to issue a threat and harm people. It is uncalled for,” the APHC leader said in an interview with Dawn.

“Some might not agree as far as the bus service is concerned. But we do not see it as an end in itself,” he said.

He said the APHC had welcomed the decision to start the service because it catered to the human aspect of the Kashmir problem. “There is an interest in Kashmir about this bus and people are looking forward to it,” he observed.

He said the APHC did not see the service as a step in isolation but one linked with the process of addressing the political problem in Jammu and Kashmir. “We feel it is the first step, people can come and go and the focus will be on Kashmir, the media and the international community.”

“I don’t think there is any harm as far as the movement is concerned. To the contrary the bus would lay emphasis on human and political aspects of the problem and underscore the need to address the issue,” he asserted.