APHC chief hopeful about talks on Kashmir

Published December 13, 2001

ISLAMABAD, Dec 12: Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat has expressed the hope that meaningful talks may take place for the solution of Kashmir dispute.

The political temperature developing at the global level has some requirements. Perhaps it is because of these global requirements that the issue of Kashmir could be resolved, he said in an interview with BBC.

The APHC will welcome such development, he said.

Bhat said the pressure on India was mounting and it will go on increasing. “If violence has to be brought to and end, attention will have to be paid to the causes of violence,” he added.

The world is emphasizing on the need for talks between India and Pakistan. They know that India is a sovereign state and Pakistan, too, is a sovereign state. If a process of talks begins between them and if they talk about us, how it can be that they do not ask us. How can they decide our fate without taking into consideration our opinion, he said.

The APHC is not opposed to the essence of talks. But it remains to be seen what the talks are for. If talks are meant for the sake of talks we are not interested in them.—APP