Kashmir issue cannot be frozen, left for next generation: Omar

Islamabad, Mar 30 (UNI) Asserting that India and Pakistan should intensify their efforts to build mutual cooperation, National Conference president Omar Abdullah today said the Kashmir issue cannot be frozen and left for the future generation.

Speaking at the Pugwash Conference here, Mr Abdullah said India and Pakistan should constitute a peace commission ''to heal the open wounds, which the decades old Kashmir issue has created.'' The peace process needed to be intensified and the mutual cooperation needed to be strengthened so that an atmosphere of trust and respect could be created in the sub-continent, he said.

The Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) initiated between the two nations failed to deliver the desired result indicating that more needed to be done at the ground level.

''The buses which were supposed to join the people of the two countries have not been able to join people but instead the troublesome procedures and never ending wait has played with sentiments of the divided families living on the two sides of borde,'' the NC president said.

The party demanded easing of travel restrictions across the Line of Control (LoC) on the pattern of the European Union to ensure free movement of the visitors from both the sides by using Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC).

Both the countries should also open their doors for the misguided youth, who are willing to shun the path of violence, to return homes honorably, Mr Abdullah said.

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