Violence not solution to Kashmir problem, say leaders

New Delhi, May 21: Terrorism cannot be a tool to resolve the Kashmir issue and the diverse and pluralistic culture of the state must be safeguarded to ensure no community is evicted, displaced or reduced to a minority through violence, leaders from Jammu and Kashmir said today.

Moderate separatist and mainstream politicans from Jammu as well as Kashmir were speaking at a conference on ''Jammu and Kashmir -- Alternative Futures'' organised by the Institute of Conflict Management here.

The aspirations of various communities in Jammu and Kashmir, including Gilgit and Baltistan, must be met within their homeland, they said.

Mirza Wajahat Hussain, President of the Gilgit-Baltistan Thinkers Forum, went on to accuse Pakistan of changing demography of the region. He said thousands of outsiders were allowed to settle in the Northern areas, reducing the locals to a minority.

The two-day conference was attended by Dr Nazir Gilani of the International Kashmir Alliance, Dr Shaukat Kashmir, Canada-based Kashmiri leader Mumtaz Khan, Dr Shabir Chaudhry and several representatives from Gilgit and Baltistan, besides CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, and Zafar Minhas.

Dr Gilani, condemning those who engineered violence in the state, said a whole generation had been lost in the last 17 years.

He held separatist leaders responsible for this heinous crime. He said it was the responsiblity of both India and Pakistan to ''preserve life and rehabilitate disclocated people''.

Mr Mumtaz Khan raised the issue of human rights violation in the northern areas of Kashmir and urged the Indian government to speak for the people of Gilgit and Baltistan, who, he said, were under severe strain.

''India has a legal right to speak on the problems of the region,'' Mr Khan said, adding the Pakistan side had muffled the voices of people in these area.

Dr Chaudhury said there was no role for the gun in settling the dispute. However, he wondered why the Indian government had shown willingness to talks to those who were responsible for the spread of terrorism in the state.

Mr Hashim Qureshi of the Democratic Liberation Front said the Hurriyat and other groups should not be invited for dialogue as they were responsible for death and destruction in the state.

UNI