The Hindu : International / India & World : Scouts' visit to Kashmir evokes protests in Pakistan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 06, 2004

International

International - India & World

Scouts' visit to Kashmir evokes protests in Pakistan

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JULY 5. A section of Pakistan political parties are up in arms against the Government for permitting a group of boy scouts to visit Kashmir on Pakistani passports and Indian visas.

The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Masood Khan, confirmed that a group of scouts have been allowed to visit Kashmir as part of SAARC exchanges. However, he was not sure if it amounted to any change of Government policy. Pakistan's position is that Kashmir is a "disputed territory" and has been saying that to allow Kashmiri citizens on either side of the divide be allowed to travel without documents as and when the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus link is agreed upon.

It appears Qazi Suburul Hasan, National Secretary of the Pakistan Scouts is leading the Pakistani team comprising scouts from all the four provinces and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The special permission of the Indian Government is required for Pakistani citizens to visit Jammu and Kashmir.

A spokesman of Pakistan Scouts has said that bilateral visits of scouts are aimed at improving relations between the SAARC countries particularly India and Pakistan. He said that the National Headquarters of the Pakistan Scouts had approved the visit.

A Pakistan Urdu daily has quoted the members of some organisations questioning the rationale behind such exchange of delegations before India and Pakistan resolve their basic disputes.

According to them such visits would directly affect the Kashmir cause and strengthen India's "forced grabbing" of Kashmir.

The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawa) Punjab Secretary-General, Khwaja Sa'ad Rafiq, has been quoted as saying that such visits were taking place under a preset agenda.

The Punjab Jamat-e-Islami Chief and MMA leader, Liaqat Baloch, said the visit was even contrary to India-Pakistan agreement on confidence building measures, as there were no such arrangements of sending delegations to the "Occupied Valley."

Rana Sanullah, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, also termed the visit contrary to national interest and said that such a mysterious visit reflected the real motives of the present rulers.

He demanded the immediate return of the Pakistan Scouts and that all details be disclosed.

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