While the National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday called for continuation of talks between India and Pakistan, separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq stressed the need to include local leadership.
“Unless tackled, peace-inimical elements will continue to cast shadow over normalisation process between the two neighbouring countries,” said Dr. Abdullah in his address in Udhampur.
Referring to the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s remarks that ‘friends can be changed and not the neighbours,’ Mr. Abdullah said, “India and Pakistan cannot wish away each other and therefore Islamabad and New Delhi must take ahead the current initiative.”
Separatist Hurriyat faction chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq called for local leadership’s participation in the talks.
“Indo-Pak need to ensure Kashmiri participation in any discourse on Kashmir, otherwise it's like playing Hamlet without the prince of Denmark,” said the Mirwaiz.
Meanwhile, another Hurriyat faction chairman Syed Ali Geelani, in response to Union External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup, said “Entire Jammu & Kashmir is a disputed territory and not integral part of India. It is internationally acknowledged dispute.”
