'India, Pakistan ready to demilitarise JK, PoK'

Srinagar, Apr 9: Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has reiterated that India and Pakistan have agreed to demilitarise both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and were waiting for an appropriate time to announce the decision.

''India and Pakistan have agreed to demilitarise both the parts of Jammu and Kashmir and were waiting for an opportune time to execute the agreement,'' he said here.

The Mirwaiz said demilitarisation does not mean relocation or withdrawal of troops, but complete demilitarisation of both Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He said the Hurriyat Conference has decided to support the ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan so that a lasting solution could be found to the Kashmir issue.

The Hurriyat chairman said India should understand that it cannot resolve the Kashmir issue by keeping pro-freedom groups away from the dialogue process.

On his ''ad hoc governance'' proposal, he said till a final settlement of the Kashmir issue was arrived at, there could be a temporary solution.

The Mirwaiz said self-rule for both Jammu and Kashmir and PoK for five years should be looked in this perspective.

The moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman also said his faction of the amalgam was trying hard to bring warring separatist organisations on one platform.

''We are concerned over the mushrooming of organisations in the Kashmir valley and will try to bring all the parties under one platform,'' he added.

The Mirwaiz said the militant organisations have a definite role to play in the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

''Their (militants') role cannot be ignored. It has been our long endeavour to take the militant leadership into confidence on the Kashmir issue,'' he added.

UNI

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