Ahead of her departure for India, Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar met Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik in Lahore on Monday, and said that genuine Kashmiri leaders ought to be made part of the Indo-Pak dialogue process on Kashmir.
Seconding the demand of Kashmiri leaders to be included in the process, the Minister said the concept of a tripartite meeting on Kashmir was based on the conviction that a dialogue that excludes them would not produce results.
Reiterating Pakistan's position on the Kashmir issue, she said: “Pakistan believes in the resolution of Kashmir issue as per the wishes of the Kashmiris in the light of the United Nations resolutions.”
The Minister said Pakistan would articulate the concerns of the Kashmiri people in the dialogue with India.
Mr. Malik was quoted by the Associated Press of Pakistan as stating that he was in favour of the dialogue between India and Pakistan on Kashmir, but articulated the concerns of the Kashmiris on being left out of the process. Urging India to commit itself to a timeframe for the dialogue to make it credible and acceptable to the Kashmiris, he is said to have sought recognition for the independence movement after it had unilaterally transformed itself into a non-violent struggle from a violent one.
The meeting was attended by Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and other JKLF leaders. The Minister is apparently scheduled to meet other Kashmiri leaders in New Delhi but met with Mr. Malik here as he was visiting the country.
