Jammu, December 4
Notwithstanding their support to the idea of self rule, to be preceded by demilitarisation, for resolving the Kashmir issue, leaders of All-Party Hurriyat Conference wish to make it clear that the “idea is not our baby.”
According to the former APHC chairman, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, the “plan has been floated by people who matter in the subcontinent and in some foreign countries.”
In reply to a question, Prof Bhat told The Tribune today that “yes the self-rule idea could be one of the plausible solutions to the Kashmir issue provided the plan is implemented after a mutual agreement between Delhi, Islamabad and those representatives of people of Kashmir who have been talking to the governments in India and Pakistan.”
The APHC leader said if the self-rule plan was accepted by India and Pakistan it had to be established not only in Kashmir but in “Azad” Kashmir too. And in both states the armies should be sent to the barracks with the police taking charge.
Prof Bhat explained that self rule “does not mean granting of greater autonomy. What is needed is that the stage for the self rule has to be set by first withdrawing the troops to be followed by political and economic package to the two states by Delhi and Islamabad”.
“Once the process is completed, the states should have their own election commission, supreme court, and other constitutional bodies which can be followed by the poll process through which people will choose their representatives for forming the government,” he said.
He added that during the exercise for establishment of self-rule and after that “there should be least interference in our day-to-day activities by Delhi and Islamabad.”
Another APHC leader, Molvi Abbas Ansari, said: “Choosing peoples’ representatives for forming the government under the supervision of the Indian Election Commission is not acceptable to us.
The two leaders said joint management of defence, currency and other external affairs by India and Pakistan could be a tenable arrangement for making the borders soft thus facilitating hassle-free people-to-people contact and for promoting tourism, trade and commerce between the two states.
Prof Bhat said: “We have not been apprised of the plan even by those who have floated it.
“It is in this connection that the APHC chairman, Molvi Umar Farooq, plans to discuss it with Pakistan President, Gen Pervez Musharraf, when the two meet in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
He stated that “the APHC leaders need to be involved whenever Delhi and Islamabad discuss the plan.”
“And we wish to discuss it whenever Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invites us for another round of talks,” he said.
The APHC leader said many other solutions “can be debated provided we are allowed to visit Pakistan and also allowed to have series of meetings with Mr Manmohan Singh.”
He said the Andora-type arrangement “can also be discussed for resolving the Kashmir issue.”
