MUZAFFARABAD, Sept 17: Former AJK prime minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan has supported intra-Kashmir conferences, saying such events should be regularly held so that a consensus can be developed among the Kashmiris regarding the settlement of the longstanding issue. Taking to Dawn from Lahore before flying to New Delhi to attend the intra-Kashmir “Heart-to-heart” talks under the aegis of the Indian National Council for World Affairs from Sept 20 to 23, he said: “But you should not expect any breakthrough. The issue is so big and complex that it cannot be resolved in one sitting.”
“However, I believe that such events help Kashmiris form their own opinion and advance the ongoing peace process between Pakistan and India,” he said.
Mr Khan was accompanied by AJK Religious Affairs Minister Hafiz Hamid Raza, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information Raja Farooq Haider, Jamiat Ulema-i-Jammu and Kashmir president MLA Sahbzada Attiqur Rehman Faizpuri and others, including the former PM’s grandson Usman Attique.
In response to a question, Saradr Qayyum said he was not leaving with any ‘specific agenda’.
“Given the present situation, no one should insist upon any particular agenda. But I am sure when we sit together we will try our level best to evolve some consensus,” he said.
Asked if he enjoyed the blessing of the Pakistan government for the tour, he said: “I do not need any blessings for something which I believe is fair and legitimate in its own right.”
Mr Khan was initially invited to Jammu by Jammu and Kashmir Panthers’ Party president Prof Bhim Singh for a similar conference scheduled for Sept 16-17, but he refused to travel to the held territory on Indian visa.
“I have made it clear long ago that I won’t travel to occupied Kashmir on Indian visa,” he said.
Asked if he would have travelled to Srinagar from Muzaffarabad if the conference was held there, Sardar Qayyum replied in the affirmative but added that if any such occasion arose he would travel by his own vehicle and not by the trans-LoC bus.
