ISLAMABAD, June 7: The visiting delegation of leaders from occupied Kashmir led by All Parties’ Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday called for a roadmap and timeframe for inclusion of Kashmiris in the Pakistan-India dialogue process. The call was made by the leaders during and after their discussions with Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri here on Tuesday.

The Mirwaiz said after the delegation’s meeting with Mr Kasuri at the foreign office that their talks covered all aspects of the Kashmir issue.

“We talked about the political aspect, the human rights dimension and also the international community’s interest and concern,” he told journalists.

“We have been assured by the Pakistani leadership of ensuring inclusion of the Kashmiris in the dialogue process with regard to the Kashmir issue,” he said.

Responding to a question, he said Islamabad’s stand and support on the Kashmir issue was not conditional to Kashmiris joining Pakistan. “Pakistan has extended unconditional support to Kashmiris’ right to self-determination,” he said.

“We believe the solution to the issue will have to be on the basis of the right to self-determination,” he said.

In reply to a question, he said: “When the Kashmiris are involved in the dialogue process and we officially sit together, we will put on the table our suggestions.”

In reply to a question, he said the Kashmiri leaders wanted to know what proposals the Pakistan government had in mind with regard to a final settlement of the Kashmir issue and how it wanted to move ahead.

Foreign Minister Kasuri said it was an “emotional occasion” for him and termed the interaction “beneficial”.

Expressing Pakistan’s desire for durable peace with India, he said it was not possible without an honourable and just solution to the Kashmir issue.

Later the Kashmiri leaders interacted with parliamentarians, politicians and journalists at a lunch hosted by the foreign minister.

Replying to questions about the APHC split, the Hurriyat leaders said only the approaches of the divided factions were different but their ultimate objective was the same.

Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat said that when the other faction’s leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani came here, “he will speak the same language as we are speaking.”

Maulana Abbas Ansari said: “We both want a solution to the Kashmir issue.”

Mirwaiz Umar said it was unfortunate that the split had occurred at such a critical juncture but indicated that efforts were under way for unification of the APHC.

Prof Bhat said that during their interaction with the Pakistani leadership the Kashmiri leaders also used “harsh” words.

He acknowledged that Pakistan had also suffered because of the Kashmir dispute. “Pakistan fought wars on Kashmir, it did not fight a war on Babri mosque, the evacuee property or water. We are grateful to not only the Pakistani leadership but also to the people in the street,” he said.

Asked about the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, he said the APHC backed it. “We do not agree that it is detrimental to people of Kashmir. The treaty signed by Pakistan and India should prevail,” he said.

Responding to a question, Foreign Minister Kasuri maintained that there was no military solution to the Kashmir issue and it had to be resolved through dialogue. Rejecting a notion that there was pressure from the United States, he asserted: “We take no dictations.”

The Mirwaiz said there was now “light at the end of the tunnel” and some solution to the issue might be found.

In reply to a question about giving a role to the APHC, he stated: “It is not a question of giving a role, we have to create our own role.”

He said that if President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh succeeded in resolving the Kashmir issue their names would go down in history in golden letters.

He regretted that the dialogue process so far had had no positive impact on the ground in occupied Kashmir.

Prof Bhat asserted that the APHC was the legitimate representative of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “No Muftis can represent Kashmiris, we alone can do it,” he stated when asked who would represent the Kashmiris at the proposed trilateral talks.

A foreign ministry statement said: “Foreign Minister Kasuri reaffirmed that the status quo is unacceptable to Pakistan and there has to be forward movement so that the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people are addressed.”

He assured the Kashmiri leaders that no solution would be acceptable to Pakistan unless it was acceptable to the Kashmiris and stated that Kashmiri people were the major stakeholders to the dispute and therefore they must be associated with the Pakistan-India dialogue process for seeking a final settlement, it said.

“Foreign Minister Kasuri stressed that there has to be forward movement on Jammu and Kashmir dispute in tandem with other CBMs,” it added.—Q.A.