The Hurriyat and Jammu and Kashmir’s regional parties on Thursday welcomed and praised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for his “bold and positive assertions” and the newly functional Kartarpur corridor between the two countries.
Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, while welcoming the opening of corridor between the two countries, said, “People of Kashmir welcome all measures aimed at goodwill and friendship between India and Pakistan. We urge both the countries to extend it to the core issue between them and resolve the Kashmir dispute to open floodgates of peace and prosperity for people on all sides.”
Reacting to "cold response" of India to Mr. Khan’s assertions on Kashmir, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who heads another faction of the Hurriyat, said, “Once again the hand of friendship extended by Pakistan has been turned down by India. It is a reality that Kashmir is in fact a bone of contention between the two nuclear neighbours.”
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Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, while welcoming the offer by Mr. Khan of giving access to Sharada Peeth in Kashmir, she said her party is sure that the offer will elicit a positive response from the Indian government. Sharada Peeth is one of the holiest sites for Kashmiri Pandits, who have been demanding access to the temple across the Line of Control in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
“Hawks on either side must be sidelined in this so that a new beginning in the India-Pakistan thaw could be made possible. The Prime Minister must lead this process personally so that the hawks are not allowed to disrupt this new atmosphere of peace. Such initiatives of offering peace through these channels are worth hailing,” she said.
National Conference leader Tanvir Sadiq congratulated India, Pakistan and people of Punjab for the Kartarpur corridor.
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