ISLAMABAD, June 22: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday termed the APHC leaders’ recent visit to Azad Kashmir and Pakistan “a major confidence-building measure (CBM)” that would greatly help in finding a permanent solution of the Kashmir problem.
“We have come a long way, but still it is a marathon race and it cannot be a 100-metre dash and the history will judge that the visit of the leaders of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was a good move and a good CBM,” he said.
The prime minister, who was talking to an 18-member delegation of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), said he did not like to respond to Indian government’s view that the Kashmiri leaders should not have visited Pakistan and should have restricted their visit to Azad Kashmir. Their visit, he said, would help efforts to settle the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the three stakeholders — India, Pakistan and the Kashmiris.
The prime minister said there would be no durable peace in the region without resolving the core issue of Kashmir.
Civil society members of both the countries, he said, were having a good interaction to understand each other’s point of view. He pointed out that during his visit to India he had said that both the countries would have to remove the trust deficit and try to understand each other’s point of view on various issues, including the core issue of Jummu and Kashmir.
He stressed the need for following a multifaceted approach to resolve differences between the two countries. “On political side, Jummu and Kashmir cannot be ignored and at the same time trade relations should also be improved,” he said, adding that with progress on Kashmir, issues pertaining to trade would automatically be sorted out to the benefit of both the countries.
The prime minister pointed out that there was no ban on trade between the two countries, but said that there were some restrictions on Indians to making investments in Pakistan. “We have to move in harmony to settle the core issue and look for improved business relations.”
He said his government had decided to open a southern rail link in Rajasthan and beyond, both for travel and goods movement.
In this regard, Mr Aziz disclosed that Pakistan was considering more items for open trade with India. He said people-to-people contacts suffered a setback when India decided to suspend flights in the past. Pakistan appreciated the resumption of flights that helped the people of the two countries to travel freely in the region.
He defended Pakistan’s decision to approach the World Bank under the Indus Waters Treaty to settle the Baglihar dam issue and said: “We had reached a point where we thought that talks between the two countries were not leading to any solution and that is why we believe that going to WB is a better course and we will accept the decision of the world body.”
He said Pakistan’s serious concerns on the Kishanganga dam also needed to be addressed by India.
Responding to a question, the prime minister said that the bus service between Srinagar and Azad Kashmir was a good humanitarian CBM which would promote relations between the two countries. He praised the role of the South Asia Free Media Association (Safma) and expressed the hope that the journalist community of both the countries and other Saarc states would help achieve peace.
When asked if more CBMs were required to remove impediments to improvement in relations, he said things would not change overnight and it would take some time to resolve issues between the two countries.
However, he said he saw sincerity on both sides and Pakistan was satisfied with the progress so far made to settle controversial issues.
The prime minister told a journalist that Kashmir was a complex issue and needed time. But he made it clear that Pakistan could not afford scattering around the issue. “We have to take the process forward and we must strive for peace,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s point of view was clear that political and trade issues should move in tandem as Pakistan could not afford to wish away the Kashmir dispute.
He said the UN resolutions on Kashmir were still there for a permanent settlement of the dispute in line with the wishes of the Kashmiris. “But still we have come quite a distance and we need to show some tangible progress on the issue,” he stressed.
